These findings support hypoglutamatergic hypotheses of schizophrenia and suggest a novel approach for the pharmacotherapy of negative symptoms associated with this illness.

Two instruments for the detection of hearing impairment, the Welch-Allyn audioscope (Welch-Allyn Inc, Skaneateles Falls, NY) and the Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly--Screening Version (HHIE-S), were validated against pure tone audiometry in 178 patients over 65 years old screened in primary care practice. The prevalence of hearing impairment in this sample was 30%. The audioscope yielded reproducible results in the physicians' offices and a hearing center. The sensitivity of the audioscope was 94% in both locations, while its specificity was 90% in the hearing center and 72% in the physicians' offices. The HHIE-S yielded reproducible results between the two test locations. An HHIE-S score from 0 to 8 resulted in a likelihood ratio of 0.36 (95% confidence interval, 0.19 to 0.68), and a score of 26 or more yielded a likelihood ratio of 12.00 (95% confidence interval, 2.62 to 55.00) for predicting the presence of hearing impairment. Used together, the two instruments had a test accuracy of 83%. The audioscope and HHIE-S are valid, reliable, inexpensive tools for detecting hearing impairment in the elderly.

Neighborhood type was a predictor of cognitive impairment. Education affected MMSE scores similarly in both ethnic groups. MMSE scores <24, indicative of cognitive impairment, were uniformly associated with functional impairment in both the Mexican Americans and European Americans. Among older Mexican Americans, MMSE-classified cognitive impairment was significantly associated with poorer performance on timed tasks with varying levels of cognitive demand independent of other correlates. A similar pattern of association was observed in European Americans. Thus, the MMSE appears to be a valid indicator of cognitive impairment in survey research in both older Mexican Americans and European Americans.

This clinical, practice-based study explores the research question: Is there a relationship between hearing loss and functional disturbance in elderly patients? We analyzed the impact of hearing impairment on 153 patients over 65 years of age screened in primary care practice. Functional and psychosocial impairment were measured using the Sickness Impact Profile (SIP), a standardized measure for assessing sickness related dysfunction. Hearing level was determined with pure tone audiometry. Multiple linear regression was used to adjust for patient case-mix differences and other clinical variables. After adjustment, a 10 dB increase in hearing loss was found to result in a 2.8 point increase in Physical SIP scores (95% confidence interval = 1.8-3.8), a 2.0 point increase in psychosocial SIP scores (95% confidence interval = 0.8-3.2) and a 1.3 point increase in overall SIP scores (95% confidence interval = 0.1-2.5). Poor hearing was associated with higher SIP scores and increased dysfunction. Thus, hearing impairment is an important determinant of function in the elderly.

The purpose of this review is to present a comprehensive evaluation of science attitude instruments based on published psychometric evidence. A multitude of instruments have been used through the years and some have been linked to career choice and school performance. Substantiating such associations is of paramount importance if researchers wish to influence educational policy. However, associations are reduced, or hard to discover, if instruments have weak psychometric properties. Several databases were searched for peer-reviewed articles that discussed the development and use of science attitude instruments. Instruments were grouped into the following categories: attitudes toward science, scientific attitudes, nature of science, scientific career interests, and other. A data abstraction and scoring rubric was used to summarize and evaluate 150 published articles that spanned 66 instruments. Most instruments had single study usage and showed an absence of psychometric evidence. This review demonstrated that there are few instruments available with the necessary psychometric data to merit recommendation. The review quantifies the current state of the research regarding the measurement of science attitude in students; the results should elicit further discussion and encourage more rigorous analyses of instruments. The findings may assist other researchers to select an instrument and alert them to its strengths and weaknesses. This review points the way forward for research in this field. Instruments already in existence should be used in repeat studies, and reliability and validity evidence should be collected and shared.

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Nursing home patients frequently have serious disturbances of behavior that can lead to use of chemical or physical restraints. To support research into better management of these problems, we developed the Nursing Home Behavior Problem Scale (NHBPS), a 29-item inventory of serious behavior problems designed to be completed by nurses and nursing assistants. NHBPS scores were obtained for two samples of nursing home residents: 431 in Tennessee and 122 in Texas. The interrater correlation was .754 in the Tennessee sample and .827 in the Texas sample. The NHBPS had a correlation of -.747 with the NOSIE scale and .911 with the CMAI. There was a pronounced association of increased NHBPS scores with mental impairment and use of sedative drugs or restraints. These data suggest the NHBPS is a useful research instrument for measuring serious behavior problems in nursing home residents.

Background. The purpose of this analysis was to examine the differential impact of performance-based and selfreported lower body measures on 2-year mortality in Mexican American elderly persons.