Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
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Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. · Dec 2001
ReviewProduct liability forecasting for asbestos-related personal injury claims: a multidisciplinary approach.
This paper focuses on three aspects of forecasting models for asbestos-related disease/injuries relating to the Manville asbestos case: (1) The structure of forecasting models for asbestos-related personal injuries. (2) The epidemiologic evidence supporting the selected model structure and the constraints on the modeling assumptions imposed by that evidence. (3) The range of uncertainty associated with projections based on these forecasting models and issues relating to decision making under uncertainty.
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Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. · Jun 2001
Review Case ReportsAttention deficit/hyperactivity disorder as a right hemisphere syndrome. Selective literature review and detailed neuropsychological case studies.
Recent studies of ADHD implicate well-defined neuroanatomical networks and neurochemical pathways in its pathophysiological basis. Considerable attention has focused on the role of anterior and superior frontal regions and portions of the basal ganglia, including the caudate nucleus and globus pallidus. ⋯ In addition, three cases are presented that illustrate the complex role of right hemisphere dysfunction in adult manifestations of ADHD. We suggest that the pleomorphic presentations of ADHD can be understood in terms of a spectrum of disturbances in overlapping neural regions, especially involving frontal and parietal areas of the right hemisphere and their connections to subcortical structures (including the striatum, limbic system and diencephalic nuclei).
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Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. · Jun 2001
ReviewMonitoring for neuroprotection. New technologies for the new millennium.
Monitoring for neuroprotection, like surgery, has placed on emphasis on minimal or non-invasiveness. Monitoring of parameters that truly reflect the degree of injury to the nervous system is another goal. Thus, two themes for the coming decade in neuromonitoring will be: (1) less-invasive monitoring; and (2) parameters that more closely reflect the etiological factors in ischemic or other neuroinjury. ⋯ Both techniques have been cleared by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for clinical use. The rationale for their use, the nature of the devices, and clinical results to date are reviewed. It is expected that both techniques will gain wide acceptance during the coming decade; further advances in neuromonitoring that can be expected further into the twenty-first century are also discussed.
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Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. · Jun 2001
ReviewAspects of psychotherapy with adults with attention deficit disorder.
The process of psychotherapy with individuals with Attention Deficit Disorder who may require this form of intervention (in addition to medication and psychoeducation) is described. Salient features of therapy specific to these patients, such as the subjective effects of medication, characteristic defensive operations, and reconciliation with the past, are emphasized.
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Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. · Mar 2001
ReviewRepresentation of acute and persistent pain in the human CNS: potential implications for chemical intolerance.
The study of pain may be relevant to the study of chemical intolerance (CI) in many ways. Pain is often reported as a symptom of CI and it is defined as a subjective experience similar to many other symptoms of CI, making its objectification difficult. Furthermore, the CNS plastic changes that underlie the development of persistent pain states and abnormal pain responses may share some similarities with those involved in the sensitization to environmental chemicals. ⋯ These psychological processes can be solicited to reduce clinical pain and we speculate that they may further attenuate or promote central mechanisms involved in the transition from acute to persistent pain states. The investigation of central determinants of subjective experience is essential to assess the possibility that higher-order brain/psychological processes modulate and/or mediate the development of persistent pain states. These factors may contribute to the development of symptoms in CI.