Hearing and speech impairment at age 4 and risk of later non-affective psychosis.

BACKGROUND: Schizophrenia often becomes manifest in late adolescence and young adulthood but deviations in physical and behavioural development may already be present in childhood. We investigated the relationship between hearing impairment (measured with audiometry) and speech impairment (broadly defined) at age 4 years and adult risk of non-affective psychosis. METHOD: We performed a population-based, case­control study in Sweden with 105 cases of schizophrenia or other non-affective psychoses and 213 controls matched for sex, date and place of birth. Information on hearing and speech impairment at age 4, along with potential confounding factors, was retrieved from Well Baby Clinic (WBC) records. RESULTS: Hearing impairment [odds ratio (OR) 6.0, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.6­23.2] and speech impairment (OR 2.6, 95% CI 1.4­4.9) at age 4 were associated with an increased risk of non-affective psychotic illness. These associations were mutually independent and not explained by parental psychiatric history, occupational class or obstetric complications. CONCLUSIONS: These results support the hypothesis that psychosis has a developmental aspect with presentation of antecedent markers early in childhood, long before the disease becomes manifest. Our findings add to the growing evidence that early hearing impairment and speech impairment are risk indicators for later non-affective psychosis and possibly represent aetiological clues and potentially modifiable risk factors. Notably, speech impairment and language impairment are both detectable with inexpensive, easily accessible screening.

Report of Sugarcane yellow leaf virus in Ecuador, Guatemala, and Nicaragua.

In 1998, sugarcane plants with symptoms similar to yellow leaf syndrome were observed in Ecuador, Guatemala, and Nicaragua. These plants showed yellowing of the central portion of the third to sixth leaves on the abaxial surface from the youngest expanding spindle leaf. Intense yellowing and necrosis of the leaf tip and the central portion of the leaf blade near the midrib occurred in severe cases. A tissue blot immunoassay was used to detect Sugarcane yellow leaf virus (SCYLV) in the midrib of the top visible dewlap leaf (2) using an antiserum specific to a Florida isolate of SCYLV (1). Since the virus can be detected in asymptomatic plants, leaf samples were collected from both symptomatic and asymptomatic plants. Symptom expression was most intense in plants at maturity that were under stress. Cut ends of leaf samples were imprinted on nitrocellulose membranes in the country of origin, and control samples of healthy and SCYLV-infected leaves were imprinted in Florida on each membrane prior to serological processing. The results from the following locations and cultivars, and the ratio of SCYLV-positive samples over the total samples is indicated: Milagro, Ecuador, PR 70-2085 (11/24) and PR 76-3385 (48/63) in 1999; Escuintla, Guatemala, CP 57-603 (1/10), CP 73-1547 (0/10), CP 72-2086 (120/308), PR 75-2002 (8/11), PR 78-294 (10/10), and PR 87-2080 (13/13) in both 2000 and 2001; Tipitapa, Nicaragua, L 68-40 (21/70) in 1998; and Chinandega, Nicaragua, CP 72-2086 (30/30) and CP 74-2005 (13/45) in 2000. CP 72-2086 is a major commercial cultivar in Central American countries and was infected in both Guatemala and Nicaragua. SCYLV was detected in 9 of 10 cultivars sampled. An exception was noticed in CP 73-1547 in Guatemala where none of the 10 plants tested were infected; however this cultivar has a high incidence of SCYLV in Florida. Only 1 of 10 samples of CP 57-603 was SCYLV positive in Guatemala; however, this cultivar has a low incidence of infection in Florida and is considered more resistant than the other CP cultivars sampled. To our knowledge, this is the first report SCYLV in Ecuador, Guatemala, and Nicaragua. References: (1) S. M. Scagliusi and B. E. L. Lockhart. Phytopathology 90:120, 2000. (2) S. Schenck et al. Sugar Cane 4:5, 1997.

The growth rate of osteomas of the paranasal sinuses.

Paranasal sinus osteomas are benign tumours, occasionally known to cause complications. They have a tendency to grow slowly, but the growth rate has never been evaluated previously. We retrospectively studied 44 patients with paranasal sinus osteomas. In 13 out of the 23 patients who underwent at least two sinus radiographs at different times some growth was seen. The mean growth rate of these 13 osteomas was 1.61 mm/yr, range 0.44 to 6.0 mm/yr. The endoscopic technique is a good method for the removal of osteomas and obliteration of the frontal sinus does not seem to be necessary. Two patients having osteomas with intracranial expansion are described.