Decreased thalamic blood flow in obsessive-compulsive disorder patients responding to fluvoxamine.

Functional imaging studies have pointed to a role of the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), striatum and thalamus in the pathophysiology of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Effective treatment has been found to change brain activity within this circuitry. The aim of the present study was to explore possible differential effects of OCD responders and non-responders to drug treatment on the regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF). Measurements of rCBF were carried out in 15 out of 22 patients with OCD who completed an open-label trial with fluvoxamine. Patients were studied with 99mTc-HMPAO single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) before and after 12 weeks of treatment. In addition, structural magnetic resonance imaging was obtained on all patients. Regions of interest comprised the OFC, caudate nucleus, putamen and thalamus. Seven patients responded to treatment. Levels of rCBF decreased significantly in the left caudate nucleus and the left and right putamen in both responders and non-responders to treatment. In responders, but not in non-responders, a significant decrease in rCBF was found in the right thalamus. Pre-treatment cerebellar and whole brain HMPAO uptake was significantly higher in responders to treatment compared with non-responders. We suggest that the thalamus plays a central role in the response to drug treatment.

Long-lasting analgesic effect of radiofrequency treatment of the lumbosacral dorsal root ganglion.

OBJECT: The authors conducted a study to establish the benefit of radiofrequency (RF) treatment of the lumbosacral dorsal root ganglion (DRG) as a therapy to reduce symptomatic pain in patients with chronic spinal pain radiating to the leg. METHODS: Two hundred seventy-nine patients were evaluated after undergoing their first RF treatment of the DRG. A four-point pain perception scale was used. Short-term effect was documented after 2 months. The influence of surgical history on outcome was examined by using chi-square analysis. The mean duration of analgesic effect was calculated by applying a probit survival analysis. Two months after undergoing RF treatment, 59% of patients reported satisfactory pain reduction. No serious adverse effects were noted. Surgical history was shown to have no significant effect on outcome. The long-term half-life time of pain reduction was 44.5 months. CONCLUSIONS: The use of RF in the treatment of DRG appears to be a useful and safe therapy in patients with chronic spinal pain that radiates to the leg. The initial success rate is approximately 60%. It seems to lead to a time-limited effect on the target structure, and the mean duration of pain reduction is approximately 3.7 years. The mechanism of action remains unclear.

Prescription and usage of long-term oxygen therapy in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in The Netherlands.

Long-term oxygen therapy (LTOT) has been shown to improve survival in hypoxaemic patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This has resulted in recommending the prescription of oxygen for at least 15 h day-1 in most European countries. In order to examine the prescription and usage of LTOT and to assess the adherence to international recommendations for its prescription, a survey was set up in a random sample of clients of the largest oxygen company in the Netherlands. After patients had been visited for an interview, additional postal surveys were sent to the physician who had prescribed LTOT and to the oxygen company. For 175 COPD patients the mean oxygen prescription and mean oxygen usage were 15.6 +/- 5.8 and 14.1 +/- 6.8 h day-1, respectively. In 62 patients (35%) oxygen was prescribed < 15 h day-1, more often by non-chest physicians than by chest physicians (P < 0.0001), and 91 patients (52%) used oxygen < 15 h day-1. Of 113 patients with a prescription > or = 15 h day-1, 39 (35%) used oxygen < 15 h day-1 and 74 for > or = 15 h day-1. The latter were prescribed oxygen for more h day-1, had been longer on LTOT, had a higher resting flow rate, were prescribed a concentrator, employed portable cylinders and used oxygen in public significantly more often than the former. We conclude that in a selected group of LTOT patients with COPD both oxygen prescription and usage were often inadequate, particularly if LTOT was prescribed by non-chest physicians.

D-cycloserine increases positive symptoms in chronic schizophrenic patients when administered in addition to antipsychotics: a double-blind, parallel, placebo-controlled study.

A hypofunction of the glutamatergic system and NMDA receptors in schizophrenia has been hypothesized. Therefore, stimulation of these receptors could be of benefit to patients with schizophrenia. D-cycloserine has been used for this purpose. This study reports the effects of 100 mg D-cycloserine, when added to typical antipsychotics in chronic schizophrenic patients exhibiting prominent negative symptoms, using a placebo-controlled, double-blind, parallel, design. D-cycloserine slightly worsened psychotic symptoms and general psychopathology as compared to placebo. D-cycloserine failed to change negative symptoms and had no effect on extrapyramidal symptoms. The exacerbation of schizophrenic symptoms may be explained by the antagonistic effects of this dose of D-cycloserine at the glycine recognition site of the NMDA receptor due to competition with the endogenous agonist glycine. Another explanation for the increase in psychopathology may be an interaction with the effects of antipsychotics on NMDA mediated neurotransmission. Thus, D-cycloserine in this study did not ameliorate schizophrenic symptoms. However, the fact that they actually worsened suggests that NMDA systems may be involved in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. Further placebo-controlled studies with lower dosages of D-cycloserine, preferably in drug-free patients, are necessary to evaluate if D-cycloserine is of use for the treatment of patients with schizophrenia.

Differential effects of hydrocortisone and dexamethasone on cortisol suppression in a child psychiatric population.

The suppressive effect of hydrocortisone and dexamethasone on salivary cortisol was investigated in a 2-year study of pituitary-adrenal function in a variety of child psychiatric patients and healthy controls. Symptomatology was assessed using the Child Behavioral Checklist (CBCL). Cortisol day profiles were assessed at 2-h intervals from 0800 to 2000 h on three occasions. Dexamethasone and hydrocortisone were administered orally twice at 2000 h, the doses being adjusted for bodyweight according to the standard dexamethasone suppression test. Fifty-one patients, including patients with dysthymia, oppositional defiant disorder, pervasive developmental disorder, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and ten age and sex matched controls participated. Basal cortisol levels in patients were generally lower than in controls. Both dexamethasone and hydrocortisone were effective in suppressing salivary cortisol, although dexamethasone was somewhat more potent and its effect lasted longer. Hyporesponsiveness to hydrocortisone, but not to dexamethasone, distinguished patients with dysthymia and oppositional defiant disorder from controls. Responsiveness to hydrocortisone was correlated with the symptom clusters social problems and anxious/depressed. The data support the idea that there exist syndrome aspecific disturbances in feedback activity beyond the level of the pituitary, i.e. at the hypothalamic level, at an early age. From this perspective, hydrocortisone suppression is a useful tool for studying pituitary-adrenal function in children. Behavioral correlates of these disturbances of pituitary-adrenal function should be determined.

The partial NMDA agonist D-cycloserine stimulates LH secretion in healthy volunteers.

D-Cycloserine, a partial agonist of the glycine recognition site of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor, may serve as a probe for human cerebral NMDA receptor function. Since NMDA receptors are involved in neuroendocrine secretion, changes in pituitary secretion in response to D-cycloserine administration could serve as a model for NMDA receptor activity. The effects of an oral dose of 500 mg D-cycloserine were assessed in a neuroendocrine challenge paradigm in 20 healthy male volunteers, using a double-blind, randomized placebo-controlled crossover design. Luteinizing hormone (LH) and cortisol secretion was studied, since preclinical studies indicate that these hormones increase in response to NMDA receptor stimulation. Furthermore, plasma homovanillic acid (HVA) secretion was studied, as NMDA receptors are suggested to be involved in the regulation of dopaminergic neurotransmission. D-cycloserine was readily absorbed and did not induce side-effects or changes in vital signs and mood scores. D-Cycloserine stimulated LH secretion and induced a significant rise of the area under the plasma concentration time curve of LH. D-Cycloserine did not stimulate cortisol or plasma HVA secretion. These neuroendocrine effects suggest that D-cycloserine may be used to assess human NMDA receptor function in cerebral disorders, such as schizophrenia.

Characteristics and complaints of patients prescribed long-term oxygen therapy in The Netherlands.

In patients prescribed long-term oxygen therapy (LTOT), compliance is often poor. Both patient- and treatment-related factors seem to be involved. As a base for improvements in LTOT, the characteristics and complaints of LTOT patients were investigated. A survey was set up in a random sample of clients of the largest oxygen company in the Netherlands. Patients were selected if they were > or = 18 years old, had a phone and if they had had oxygen equipment for > or = 6 months. All patients were visited at home by a medical student. Data are presented for a total of 528 patients (response rate 62%). The typical LTOT patient was a 70-year-old male with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), who had had oxygen equipment for 3.5 years and who used oxygen cylinders and nasal cannulae for 13 h day-1. Twenty percent of the patients still smoked. Although LTOT was prescribed in 80% of the patients by a chest physician, prescription was often inadequate. Only 33% of the patients were informed adequately about the therapy. Twenty percent of the patients used oxygen for fewer hours per day than prescribed. Non-compliant patients were mainly men (P = 0.006) and more often ashamed of their therapy (P = 0.023) than compliant patients. The blood oxygen level was monitored regularly in 73% of the patients. Most complaints concerned the oxygen equipment, especially the concentrator. The single most important complaint had to do with restricted autonomy. Only 19% of the patients had no complaints at all. It is concluded that LTOT should be improved with regard to the education, motivation and monitoring of patients. The prescribing physician needs to be included in an education programme. Given the numerous problems these patients experience, LTOT should be improved in particular with regard to equipment convenience.

Assessment of the preferred plane and sequence in the depiction of mesial temporal sclerosis using magnetic resonance imaging.

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: Definition of optimal magnetic resonance (MR) scanning plane and conventional MR sequence for the detection of mesial temporal sclerosis (MTS). METHODS: Coronal and axial T2-weighted images and axial T2-weighted images parallel to the long axis of the hippocampus (APLAH) and coronal inversion recovery (IR) images were obtained in patients with medically intractable temporal lobe epilepsy in their phase 1 preoperative evaluation. Thirty-three consecutive MR scans were reviewed by a panel of three radiologists. Twenty-three patients had MR abnormalities consistent with MTS, and ten scans were normal. To assess the best single scanning technique, another group of three radiologists, who were masked to all patient data, individually assessed the different planes and sequences of the 33 studies presented separately in a random fashion. For each plane and sequence, the likelihood (L) ratio for the correct diagnosis was determined separately. RESULTS: For all planes considered separately, a likelihood ratio of 4.4 was optimal for the coronal T2-weighted images. The likelihood ratio of APLAH T2 was 2.2; of axial T2, 3.9; of coronal IR, indefinite because of 100% specificity. CONCLUSIONS: For the assessment of MTS, coronal T2-weighted images were considered the best single scanning technique.

Interaction of an insect lipoprotein with its binding site at the fat body.

A single type of high density lipoprotein (HDLp) binding sites is present at intact fat body tissue and in fat body membranes of larval and adult locusts. HDLp is bound with high affinity (Kd approximately 10(-7) M). This interaction does not require divalent cations and is heat-labile because heat-treatment of fat body membranes results in a substantial reduction of the maximal binding capacity. In addition to unlabeled HDLp and low density lipophorin (LDLp), human low density lipoprotein also seems to compete with radiolabeled HDLp for this binding site, suggesting a relaxed specificity. Induction of lipid mobilization with adipokinetic hormone did not change the binding characteristics of the fat body. An increase in the binding capacity of intact fat body tissue in the adult stage suggests that the number of cell surface binding sites is upregulated during development. However, the total number of HDLp binding sites appears to be constant, because larval and adult fat body membranes have similar binding capacities.

Clinical relevance of protein-tyrosine (de-)phosphorylation in head and neck cancer.

Previous studies have shown that protein tyrosine (de)phosphorylation plays an important role in head and neck cancer. Protein-tyrosine kinases (PTK) and protein-tyrosine phosphatases (PTPase) activities in the cytosol of tumor tissue were significantly increased compared to normal tissue of cancer patients as well as controls. Additionally, the enzyme activities in normal tissue of tumor patients were significantly higher than enzyme activities in normal tissue of the control group. In this paper, we have correlated the cytosolic and membranous PTK and PTPase activity of tumor and nontumor tissue with several clinical and histological parameters known to influence the clinical outcome. Furthermore, we have analyzed the value of the enzyme activities as an independent predictor of clinical behavior and occurrence of second primary tumors. We confirmed our earlier observations that cytosolic and membranous PTK activities and cytosolic PTPase activities in tumor tissues are increased compared to activities in nontumor tissues and controls. Moreover, we also confirmed the findings of increased enzyme activities in nontumor tissues compared to findings in control tissues. This finding in histologically proven healthy mucosa is highly interesting because it indicates that these biochemical changes are obviously not (yet) translated into morphological changes. Significant differences were found in membranous PTK activity when the patients were grouped by sex, tumor localization, lymph node metastasis, and previous radiotherapy. During the follow-up period, no relation could be found between enzyme activities in tumor and/or nontumor tissues and disease-free interval or occurrence of second primary tumors.

A mathematical model describing catch-up growth in celiac disease.

Celiac disease may lead to various degrees of growth retardation. In general, catch-up growth is completed in the first 2 years after the start of therapy. A mathematical model for catch-up growth in celiac disease can be useful as a reference to which the growth pattern observed during treatment of other conditions can be compared. In this study we performed a non-linear regression analysis on individual growth data of 16 celiac disease patients using a monomolecular growth function. The goodness of fit was significant in all cases (p < 0.05), which illustrates that this function adequately describes catch-up growth in individuals with celiac disease. From the individual models we have composed a cross-sectional curve and a longitudinal description of the pattern of catch-up growth for the entire population.

Stimulation of the pituitary-adrenal system with graded doses of CRH and low dose vasopressin infusion in depressed patients and healthy subjects: a pilot study.

A corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) stimulation test with four cumulative doses of human CRH (0.01, 0.06, 0.2 and 1 microgram/kg body weight) and infusion of a low dose of [Arg8]-vasopressin (0.004 U/kg body weight/30 min) was performed in five depressed patients and six healthy subjects. Plasma samples for the measurement of cortisol, ACTH and beta-endorphin were taken at regular intervals and considered as measures of pituitary-adrenal function. A dose-response relationship between CRH and the hormones measured was found in patients and controls. Depressed patients already responded to the lowest dose of CRH with respect to cortisol release, whereas ACTH and beta-endorphin responded to the second and third doses, respectively. In control subjects the cortisol and ACTH response started after the third dose of CRH, whereas beta-endorphin responded significantly to the highest dose only. When both groups were compared, differences in response were found to the higher doses of CRH with respect to cortisol, ACTH and, less markedly, beta-endorphin and to the lowest dose of CRH with respect to cortisol. Although numbers are small, the data show 'blunting' of the ACTH response to the higher doses of CRH in patients with an enhanced cortisol response of the adrenals to lower and higher doses of CRH. There was no significant difference in response when CRH was used with vasopressin as compared to treatment with CRH alone. Thus, in this design vasopressin did not contribute significantly to CRH activity. The data suggest that pituitary cell sensitivity might be changed in depression as part of HPA dysfunction.

Slow baseline growth and a good response to growth hormone (GH) therapy are related to elevated spontaneous GH pulse frequency in girls with Turner's syndrome.

Spontaneous growth and growth responses to GH therapy vary considerably among girls with Turner's syndrome. In an attempt to clarify this variability, we assessed growth parameters, 24-h GH profiles, arginine-stimulated serum GH levels, and plasma insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) concentrations in a group of 41 girls with Turner's syndrome with a mean (+/- SD) age of 13 +/- 3 yr (range, 6.7-18.9). We subsequently treated all girls with biosynthetic GH (24 IU/m2 x week) and documented the growth response after 1 yr of therapy. GH profiles were analyzed according to Pulsar and Cluster, and GH secretion rates were calculated by waveform-independent deconvolution (Pulse). Factor analysis selected the mean 24-h GH secretion rate and number of GH peaks according to Cluster and Pulse as the principal GH profile variables to be used for further analysis. The mean (+/- SD) daily pituitary GH secretion rate was 127 +/- 47 micrograms/L.24 h (range, 37-232). The GH secretion rate correlated inversely with body mass index (r = -0.45; P < 0.01; n = 41). There was no relationship between the GH secretion rate and the growth parameters before or after GH therapy. However, the number of GH peaks (Pulse) correlated negatively with baseline height velocity (r = -0.53; P = 0.03) and was a positive predictor for height velocity increment during the first year of GH therapy (r = 0.71, P = 0.001). The mean (+/- SD) IGF-I level was 217 +/- 91 ng/mL (range, 87-413). There was no relationship between GH secretion rate or growth parameters and IGF-I. However, the number of GH peaks correlated negatively with IGF-I (r = -0.49; P = 0.04; n = 17). We conclude that an elevated spontaneous GH pulse frequency pattern is associated with relatively low IGF-I levels and slow baseline growth in girls with Turner's syndrome and that girls with such a pulse pattern may benefit most from exogenous GH therapy.

Inhibition of the pituitary-adrenal axis with dexamethasone and cortisol in depressed patients and healthy subjects: a dose-response study.

Different doses dexamethasone (0.25, 0.5, and 1 mg) or cortisol (30, 60, and 120 mg) were administered PO at 2230h to 39 depressed patients and 20 healthy subjects on nonsuccessive days. The inhibiting capacity of the two steroids on hypothalamo-pituitary axis (HPA) function was evaluated by measuring the plasma levels of cortisol, ACTH, and beta-endorphin at 0900h and 1530h each day following treatment. Baseline levels of the hormones were measured before starting treatment. A dose-dependent suppressive effect of both steroids on the plasma levels of cortisol, ACTH, and beta-endorphin was found both in patients and controls, except for the 0900h levels of cortisol after cortisol treatment. The effects were most profound in the morning. Differences between patients and controls were observed after cortisol treatment, but not dexamethasone, with respect to cortisol, ACTH, and beta-endorphin plasma levels in the morning. Cortisol treatment discriminated dexamethasone nonsuppressors from suppressors (patients and controls) and patients categorized as dexamethasone suppressors from controls in a way that dexamethasone treatment could not. The data favour the idea of impaired corticosteroid feedback beyond the pituitary level as part of HPA dysfunction.

Dose-response study of biosynthetic human growth hormone (GH) in GH-deficient children: effects on auxological and biochemical parameters. Dutch Growth Hormone Working Group.

A multicenter dose-response study evaluated the effect of two different doses of biosynthetic GH on auxological and biochemical parameters in 38 prepubertal children with GH deficiency (GHD). Twenty-one were newly diagnosed, while 17 transfer patients had been on GH treatment for at least 1 yr before the study. New and transfer patients alike were treated with either 2 or 4 IU GH/m2.day sc. At evaluation all new patients had completed 1 yr of treatment, while transfers had completed 2 yr of treatment under study. In the new patients both doses resulted in a significant increase in height velocity (HV) and height SD score (SDS), with comparable bone maturation. After correction for the severity of GHD, the increase in HV SDS was significantly greater with 4 IU than with 2 IU (P less than 0.01). In the transfer patients HV, height SDS, and predicted adult height only increased significantly with 4 IU (P less than 0.05). Bone maturation was comparable for the two doses. There was a significant correlation between first year growth response and GH dose. In the new patients, the plasma insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) concentration increased significantly without a significant difference between dosage groups. There was a positive correlation between growth response and increment of plasma IGF-I SDS. In new and transfer patients alike, above normal plasma IGF-I levels were observed, particularly with 4 IU. Hemoglobin-A1 remained constant with both GH doses in both groups, while cholesterol and LDL levels tended to decrease. In the new patients, the mean apolipoprotein-A1 level was lower than the control value after 1 yr on 4 IU GH. Treatment with 4 IU GH/m2.day led to a greater growth response than a dose of 2 IU in newly diagnosed as well as previously treated GHD patients. Bone maturation was comparable for both doses. No adverse effects were observed with the higher GH dose, but the long term effects on IGF-I and lipid metabolism need further attention.

Platelet adhesion and aggregate formation in type I diabetes under flow conditions.

To study platelet activation as a phenomenon that may precede development of angiopathy in diabetes mellitus, we compared platelet adhesion and thrombus formation in a flow system with blood from insulin-dependent (type I) diabetic subjects with and without macroangiopathy and age- and sex-matched control subjects. Adhesion and thrombus formation on matrix of cultured human endothelial cells (ECM) and adhesion on matrix of human fibroblasts (FBM) were studied after exposure to flowing blood at shear rates of 300 and 1300 s-1 and exposure times of 1, 3, 5, and 10 min (and 20 min in adhesion experiments). Blood was anticoagulated with trisodium citrate (1:10 vol/vol, 110 mM) or low-molecular-weight heparin ([LMWH] 20 U/ml). Endothelial cell cultures were either unstimulated or stimulated with 4 beta-phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) 16 h before isolating their matrix. Platelet adhesion on ECM and FBM in citrated and LMWH-anticoagulated blood was identical in diabetic patients and control subjects, with comparable increases of adhesion with increasing perfusion times. Platelet aggregate formation on ECM of PMA-stimulated cells with LMWH-anticoagulated blood was similar in diabetic patients, whether macroangiopathy was present, compared with control subjects. Fibrin deposition and fibrinopeptide A generation during perfusion were comparable in diabetic and control subjects. Platelet thromboxane B2 formation after stimulation with arachidonic acid was increased in diabetic patients without macroangiopathy compared with age- and sex-matched control subjects. In the perfusion system, the patterns of platelet adhesion and aggregate formation on extracellular matrix in flowing blood of diabetic patients (with or without macroangiopathy), and healthy age- and sex-matched control subjects followed a similar pattern.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Influence of cefotaxime on microbial colonization resistance in healthy volunteers.

The influence of cefotaxime 1000 mg given intravenously bd on microbial colonization resistance was investigated in six healthy volunteers. Administration of cefotaxime allowed colonization of the bowel by a resistant challenge strain of Enterobacter cloacae in all volunteers. The faecal concentration of aerobic flora increased significantly in five of six volunteers. In one the numbers of Gram-negative bacilli, enterococci and yeasts also increased. In the other four the faecal concentration of enterococci and yeasts increased, but Gram-negative bacilli did not rise above pre-treatment level. It is concluded that cefotaxime impairs colonization resistance, although to a variable degree. Therefore the term 'selective decontamination' is not fully justified for prophylactic regimens that include cefotaxime.

Influence of amoxycillin on microbial colonization resistance in healthy volunteers. A methodological study.

The influence of amoxycillin 500 mg tid on microbial colonization resistance was investigated in 11 healthy volunteers. Analysis was performed in each volunteer individually. In the first five volunteers we investigated the influence of amoxycillin on the faecal concentration of Gram-negative bacilli, enterococci and yeasts and on spontaneously occurring secondary colonization. In the next six volunteers we also investigated the influence of amoxycillin on colonization resistance against amoxycillin-resistant challenge strains, in order to be independent of the accidental presence of resistant Gram-negative bacilli. In three volunteers all indicators employed did not show impairment of the anaerobic flora that provide colonization resistance. In five volunteers impairment of this flora was indicated both by increase of the faecal concentration of aerobic flora and by increase of spontaneously occurring secondary colonization or facilitation of colonization by the challenge strains. However, in the other three volunteers there was no concordance between the investigated indicators of the influence of amoxycillin on colonization resistance. Possible explanations are discussed. It is concluded that increase of the faecal concentration of aerobic flora is a more reliable indicator of impairment of the anaerobic flora that provides colonization resistance than increase of secondary colonization by strains acquired spontaneously or by challenge strains administered deliberately. In one volunteer, who was excluded from the trial, high-level faecal colonization occurred after challenge with Enterobacter cloacae in the pretreatment period.

Data-reduction problems in biopharmaceutics and pharmacokinetics.

The importance of the use of appropriate biostatistical methods is stressed. In this article some problems and common errors in the data-reduction methods applied in biopharmaceutical and pharmacokinetic research are discussed. A commonly used representation of a set of concentration-time curves is the so-called 'mean curve', a curve through the arithmetic means of concentrations at discrete time points. If individual curves are compared with the 'mean curve' it appears that important characteristics have disappeared while other, incorrect, characteristics have been created. Unreliable conclusions may result from this procedure. Rather every single concentration-time curve should be fitted by appropriate regression methods and the resulting parameters be considered as multiple characteristics of individual pharmacokinetic behaviour. In a second data-analysis step these parameters may be clustered into more or less homogeneous subgroups, which subsequently may be represented by a representative curve. Standard errors of the mean and confidence intervals based on standard errors of the mean instead of the standard deviation are often misused as dispersion measures to characterize the sample or population distribution. Standard errors of the mean and confidence intervals measure the precision of the mean of a sample and are sensitive to the sample size. Vertical bars (in curves) representing standard deviation, standard errors of the mean or confidence intervals suggest symmetrical distributions, but this is sometimes not justified. Deviations from normality appear to occur often. A simple graphical method to indicate the dispersion of non-normal sets is presented. Methods for the determination of confidence intervals for normal and non-normal distributions are discussed.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)