Congenital hydrocephalus internus and aqueduct stenosis: aetiology and implications for genetic counselling.

UNLABELLED: Genetic counselling in families with congenital hydrocephalus internus (CHI) in combination with aqueduct stenosis (AS) is often difficult due to an uncertain aetiology. We present a series of 35 patients with CHI and AS focusing on the aetiology and presumed recurrence risk for siblings. In 13 patients (37.1%) a genetic aetiology was identified with an increased recurrence risk for siblings. The relative frequency of patients with X-linked hydrocephalus in our sample was in accordance with the literature (2/35), but was more frequent in other diseases with Mendelian inheritance. CONCLUSION: In addition to the well-known X-linked and autosomal recessive forms of aqueduct stenosis with hydrocephalus, this malformation can occur in other diseases with Mendelian inheritance. This finding is of considerable importance for genetic counselling and prognosis.

Adolescents' attitudes toward the death penalty.

In this study, a questionnaire was administered to 142 students at two high schools (72 boys and 70 girls) and 112 students at a state college (36 men and 76 women) to determine whether they favored the death penalty for certain criminal acts. A questionnaire was also administered to assess extraversion and neuroticism. The findings indicated that high school students rated more criminal acts as meriting the death penalty than did college students. Gender and personality were not found to be associated with attitudes toward the death penalty.

Pediatric physical therapy in a rehabilitation setting.

Pediatric rehabilitation is a rapidly growing field. Managing the pediatric patient requires experience and the appreciation of the contributions of health, social and educational professionals: physician, nurse, occupational therapist, learning specialist, recreational therapist, psychologist, social worker, and physical therapist. The responsibility of this multidisciplinary team is to assist the family and the child in attaining the highest realistic physical independence, to prevent musculoskeletal deformity and, therefore, to improve the overall quality of life. Successful rehabilitation will depend on the degree to which each professional considers the whole child when working to alleviate specific handicaps. The long-term rehabilitation of the pediatric patient is a joint team-family responsibility, and for treatment to be translated into daily life, full cooperation and commitment from the family is crucial. The physician is the coordinator of the rehabilitation team and is responsible for the initial assessment and diagnosis from which the team undertakes appropriate management. Ideally, the physician and team members communicate frequently to ensure congruent goals of treatment. The role of the physical therapist in the management of the pediatric rehabilitation patient relates to classifications of diagnosis. The authors present this guide to families and health professionals for using physical therapy resources.