Halo vest effect on balance.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of a halo vest, a cervical orthosis, on clinically relevant balance parameters. DESIGN: Subjects performed unipedal stance (with eyes open and closed, on both firm and soft surfaces) and functional reach, with and without the application of a halo vest. SUBJECTS: A convenience sample of 12 healthy young subjects, with an equal number of men and women. OUTCOME MEASURES: Seconds for unipedal stance (maximum 45); inches for functional reach. RESULTS: Both unipedal stance times and functional reach (mean +/- standard deviation) were significantly decreased with the halo vest as compared to without it (29.1+/-5.8 vs. 32.8+/-6.4 seconds, p = .002; 12.9+/-1.4 vs. 15.1+/-2.1 inches, p<.01). CONCLUSION: A halo vest causes an acute impairment in balance in the healthy young. It is likely that the impairment would be greater in older or injured patients, thus increasing their risk for a fall, which could have devastating consequences.

Factor analysis of the continuous performance test and parent-teacher reports of attention deficit disorder.

The relationships between a computerized measure of attention deficit disorder and scores from two commonly used parent-teacher reports were investigated. A factor analysis of the raw omission and commission scores provided by the Continuous Performance Test and Conners' Parent Rating Scale and the ADD-H Comprehensive Teacher Rating Scale indicated that for a sample of 54 children the Continuous Performance Test was most closely associated with measures of impulsivity and hyperactivity provided by the Conners' rating. This finding was congruent with the use of the Continuous Performance Test in the evaluation as a measure of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and suggestive of a positive and significant relation between this computerized measure of behavior and parents' perception of behavior. Little association was detected between scores on the teachers' scale and omission and commission scores.

Interstitial deletion 2q31 leads to q33.

We present an 8-month-old female with severe retardation of growth and development, multiple congenital anomalies, and an interstitial deletion del(2)(q31 leads to q33) including results of cytogenetic and gene marker studies. The manifestations of this infant are compared with those of four other known patients with a partial del(2q).