Social approach in pre-school children with Williams syndrome: the role of the face.

BACKGROUND: Indiscriminate social approach behaviour is a salient aspect of the Williams syndrome (WS) behavioural phenotype. The present study examines approach behaviour in pre-schoolers with WS and evaluates the role of the face in WS social approach behaviour. METHOD: Ten pre-schoolers with WS (aged 3-6 years) and two groups of typically developing children, matched to the WS group on chronological or mental age, participated in an observed play session. The play session incorporated social and non-social components including two components that assessed approach behaviour towards strangers; one in which the stranger's face could be seen and one in which the stranger's face was covered. RESULTS: In response to the non-social aspects of the play session, the WS group behaved similarly to both control groups. In contrast, the pre-schoolers with WS were significantly more willing than either control group to engage with a stranger, even when the stranger's face could not be seen. CONCLUSION: The findings challenge the hypothesis that an unusual attraction to the face directly motivates social approach behaviour in individuals with WS.

Vena cavography with CO(2) versus with iodinated contrast material for inferior vena cava filter placement: a prospective evaluation.

PURPOSE: To determine whether carbon dioxide (CO(2)) vena cavography can safely guide the placement of inferior vena cava (IVC) filters. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred nineteen patients were prospectively enrolled in this study. CO(2 )cavograms were obtained and evaluated for IVC diameter, location of renal veins, and presence of thrombus and venous anomalies. If CO(2 )cavography was judged to be adequate, an IVC filter was deployed. After filter placement, cavography was performed with iodinated contrast material; these images were compared with the CO(2) cavograms. RESULTS: Two patients experienced mild side effects related to venous CO(2) injection. Comparison of cavograms obtained with CO(2) and iodinated contrast-enhanced material showed the caval size to be within 3 mm in all 119 patients. In 116 patients (97.5%), CO(2) cavography was judged to be adequate, and in 115 patients, filters were placed. In three (2.5%) patients, it was necessary to perform iodinated contrast-enhanced cavography before filter deployment. All six cases of venous anomaly and 11 (78.6%) of 14 cases of thrombosis were clearly identified with CO(2) cavography. One filter was maldeployed owing to misinterpretation of the CO(2) cavogram. CONCLUSION: CO(2) cavography is well tolerated, safe, and adequate for identification of the parameters necessary for filter deployment. It is especially valuable in patients with a history of reaction to iodinated contrast material or renal insufficiency.

The effect of crossing legs on blood pressure: a randomized single-blind cross-over study.

BACKGROUND: Although there is a theoretical basis for crossing legs to increase blood pressure, there are no published data addressing this question. As a result guidelines for measurement of blood pressure are not consistent in recommending that patients legs should not be crossed during measurement. OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of crossing legs on blood pressure. METHODS: Fifty healthy volunteers and 53 patients with hypertension were randomly allocated in a study with a cross-over design to having seated blood pressure measured with their legs in three different positions: feet flat on the floor and legs crossed using two common methods. The blood pressures were assessed by an investigator who was blinded to the leg positions and used a fully automated sphygmomanometer. RESULTS: Crossing legs during blood pressure measurement increased systolic (by average 8.1 mmHg, 95% confidence interval 5.1-11.1 mmHg for method 1; 10.5 mmHg, 6.5-14.6 mmHg for method 2) and diastolic (by 4.5 mmHg, 1.5-7.5 mmHg for method 1; 4.0 mmHg, 2.0-6.0 mmHg for method 2) blood pressures in patients who have hypertension. Crossing legs increased systolic blood pressure (by 2.5 mmHg, 1.3)3.8 mmHg for method 1; 2.3 mmHg, 0.9-3.7 mmHg for method 2) in the healthy volunteers but had little effect on diastolic blood pressure. The cardiovascular-risk class increased for a large number of the hypertensive patients but for fewer of the normotensive subjects. CONCLUSIONS: Blood pressure increases when legs are crossed and this increases the estimation of cardiovascular risk for many patients. Care should be taken to ensure that the patients feet are flat on the floor when measuring their blood pressure.

Population education resources.

PIP: This article provides information on those population education materials and services which are available from the Population Reference Bureau (PRB) and explores their usefulness in secondary school and college environments. PRB data sheets are a most useful source of information. Demographic and socioeconomic information (birth and death rates, natural increase, population doubling times, projections for the year 2000, life expectancies, per capita gross national product, etc.) are included. The World's Women Data Sheet is a special publication issued to mark the midway point of the UN Decade for Women. 161 countries are included with information on demographic, health, employment, and educational status of women. There is a nominal cost for these data sheets. To help students learn about population dynamics and world patterns of population, mapping exercises can be developed. The Population Bulletin is published 6 times/year and each issue concentrates on specific aspects of population. The 28 bulletins which have been published since January 1976 are listed. The PRB Chart Series is a multicolor graphic presentation of topical issues in population and development trends worldwide. A total of 26 charts in 4 series have been produced and cover such topics as world population growth, urbanization, world energy consumption, age structure in the U.S., and adolescent pregnancy in the U.S. This material is best used with high school students. A monthly international population news magazine called Intercom is desinged to inform about worldwide trends and activities in population and family planning. It is published in both English and Spanish and is a useful source of current information in capsulized form. For population educators there is the bimonthly newsletter Interchange. PRB's teaching-learning modules are valuable publications for teachers. Thus far there are 9, each of which is a self-contained unit with classroom activities for junior high to college students. Each one outlines a problem and then presents methods which can stimulate discussion and provoke interest. 2 special publications on special interest topics (Population Handbook; Population Education: Sources and Resources) are described. PRB may well be the best single source of population education materials which will hopefully be used and incorporated into teaching.^ieng