Report to the Wisconsin Legislature on the Learnfare Evaluation (1991)

In July, 1987 the State of Wisconsin enacted legislation implementing a Learnfare policy for families with teenagers receiving Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) and who have not completed high school or obtained a GED. Under the policy families are denied AFDC support for teens (or teen parents) not attending school regularly. The Employment and Training Institute was selected by the state Department of Health and Social Services to conduct an evaluation of the program. This report was made to the state Legislature on the progress of the evaluatio

Taste function in early stage treated and untreated Parkinson’s disease

Since brain stem regions associated with early Parkinson’s disease (PD) pathology encroach upon those involved in taste function, the ability to taste may be compromised in PD. However, studies on this point have been contradictory. We administered well-validated wholemouth and regional taste tests that incorporated multiple concentrations of sucrose, citric acid, caffeine, and sodium chloride to 29 early stage PD patients and 29 age-, sex-, and race-matched controls. Electrogustometry was also performed on the anterior tongue. The PD cohort was tested both on and off dopamine-related medications in counterbalanced test sessions. While whole-mouth taste identification test scores for all stimuli were, on average, nominally lower for the PD patients than for the controls, a trend in the opposite direction was noted for the intensity ratings at the lower stimulus concentrations for all stimuli except caffeine. Moreover, regional testing found that PD subjects tended to rate the stimuli, relative to the controls, as more intense on the anterior tongue and less intense on the posterior tongue. No significant associations were evident between taste test scores and UPDRS scores, L-DOPA medication equivalency values, or [99mTc]TRODAT-1 SPECT imaging of dopamine transporter uptake within the striatum and associated regions. Our findings suggest that suprathreshold measures of taste function are influenced by PD and that this disease differentially influences taste function on anterior (CN VII) and posterior (CN IX) tongue regions. Conceivably PD-related damage to CN IX releases central inhibition on CN VII at the level of the brainstem, resulting in enhanced taste intensity on the anterior tongue

Differentiating Between Simple And Complex Pediatric Musculoskeletal Extremity Infections: Identifying Predictors Early In The Hospital Course

Complex musculoskeletal infections, defined as subfascial reaching infections involving muscle, and/or bone, occur more frequently in our age of increasing antibiotic resistance and bacterial virulence. These infections correlate with longer hospital stays, increased surgical need, and poorer outcomes compared to simple superficial soft tissue infections. Pediatric musculoskeletal infections often have an ambiguous presentation, however, complicating diagnosis and appropriate treatment. The goal of this study is to identify predictors of complicated infections to allow for quick differentiation between simple and complex pediatric extremity infections. By identifying these factors, aggressive treatment of the potentially more serious infections early in the hospital course may improve outcomes. Children with complex musculoskeletal infections present with higher laboratory values, heart rate, and pain scores compared to simple infections. It is our belief, these values may help stratify patients into “simple” or “complex” infection groups. Early identification of patients with parameters correlated with “complex” infections may prevent delays of treatment and potentially decrease length of stay and complications for those with these high-virulence infections