ARI Group Research Articles

The Haar measure of a profinite n-ary group

We prove that every profinite [Formula: see text]-ary group [Formula: see text] has a unique Haar measure [Formula: see text] and further for every measurable subset [Formula: see text], we have [Formula: see text] where [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] are the normalized Haar measures of the profinite groups [Formula: see text] and the Post cover [Formula: see text], respectively.

In vitro and in vivo accuracy of autonomous robotic vs. fully guided static computer-assisted implant surgery.

To assess the accuracy of autonomous robotic and fully guided static computer-assisted implant surgery (sCAIS) performed on models and patients. This study was divided into in vitro and in vivo sections. In vitro, 80 operators were assigned to two groups randomly. Forty operators performed forty autonomous robotic implant (ARI group) surgeries and the remaining forty operators carried out forty fully guided sCAIS (FGI group) surgeries on maxillary models, respectively. Each operator placed an implant in one maxillary model. In vivo, 60 patients with 113 implants from 2019 to 2023 (ARI group: 32 patients, 58 implants; FGI group: 28 patients, 55 implants) receiving implant surgeries were incorporated in this retrospective research. The preoperative and postoperative cone beam computer tomographs (CBCTs) were utilized to estimate the linear deviations and angular deviations in two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) space. The Pearson's chi-square test, Shapiro-Wilk test, Student's t test, Mann-Whitney U test and mixed models were applied, and p <0.05 was considered statistically significant. In vitro, a total of 80 implants were enrolled and significant differences were found between the two groups (p < 0.001): The 3D deviation at the platform of ARI and FGI group was 0.58 ± 0.60 mm and 1.50 ± 1.46 mm, respectively, at the apex was 0.58 ± 0.60 mm and 1.78 ± 1.35 mm, respectively, and angle was 1.01 ± 0.87° and 2.93 ± 1.59°, respectively. Also, except for mesiodistal deviation at the implant platform, the rest linear and angular deviations in the ARI group were significantly lower than those in the FGI group in 2D space (p < 0.001). In vivo, a significantly lower mean of angular deviation (0.95 ± 0.50°, p < 0.001) and the linear deviation at both platform (0.45 ± 0.28 mm, p < 0.001) and apex (0.47 ± 0.28 mm, p < 0.001) were observed in ARI group when compared to the FGI group (4.31 ± 2.60°; 1.45 ± 1.27 mm; 1.77 ± 1.14 mm). The use of autonomous robotic technology showed significantly higher accuracy than the fully guided sCAIS.

G protein-coupled receptor 1 participating in the mechanism of mediating gestational diabetes mellitus by phosphorylating the AKT pathway.

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a metabolic disease that occurs during pregnancy. Herein, we investigate G protein-coupled receptor 1 (GPR1) in mediating GDM through the phosphorylation of serine/threonine kinase (AKT) pathway. Thirty pregnant SD rats were grouped into: normal pregnancy control group (NC), GDM model group, and GDM model + high-dose GPR1 antagonist treatment (GDM + Ari) group. GDM model was established, and the GDM + Ari group adopted GPR1 antagonist aripiprazole. The blood glucose level, insulin level, and insulin resistance (IR) were detected. The expression and phosphorylation of GPR1, AKT, and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) in placental tissue were detected using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and western blotting (WB). The serum insulin concentration, glucose concentration, and glycated hemoglobin concentration during pregnancy in GDM group SD rats were significantly higher than those in the NC group (P < 0.05). The expression and phosphorylation levels of GPR1, AKT, and ERK in the placental tissue of SD pregnant rats in the GDM group were significantly lower than those in the NC group. Furthermore, compared with the GDM group, the expression of GPR1, AKT, and ERK in placental tissue was significantly reduced in the GDM + Ari group, while simultaneously enhancing the blood glucose level and IR level. In addition, the survival number, body weight, and malformation rate of the offspring of the GDM + Ari group were significantly improved, and there was no significant effect on the number of offspring. The expressions of GPR1, AKT, and ERK in placental tissue exhibited a significant decrease, while the glucose level and IR were observed to increase in the GDM + Ari group. Enhancing the expression of GPR1 may activate AKT phosphorylation to alleviate GDM. GPR1 could potentially serve as a novel target for diabetes treatment, offering new insights into managing GDM.

Safety and Efficacy of High-Dose Vitamin B6 as an Adjunctive Treatment for Antipsychotic-Induced Hyperprolactinemia in Male Patients With Treatment-Resistant Schizophrenia.

This study aimed to investigate the safety and efficacy of high-dose vitamin B6 (vB6) as an adjunct treatment for antipsychotic-induced hyperprolactinemia (AIHP) in male patients with treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TRS). In this randomized double-blinded controlled study, patients were randomized (1:1) into a control group given aripiprazole (ARI; 10 mg/day; n = 100) or an intervention group given vB6 (300 mg/12 h for 16 weeks; n = 100). Prolactin levels, psychotic symptoms [Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS)], cognitive function [MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB)], liver function, kidney function, growth hormone level, micronutrient levels, blood lipids, and adverse secondary effects (ASEs)[Treatment Emergent Symptom Scale (TESS) and Barnes-Akathisia scale] were monitored. After a 16-week treatment period, the vB6 group showed a 68.1% reduction in serum prolactin levels (from 95.52 ± 6.30 μg/L to 30.43 ± 18.65 μg/L) while the ARI group showed only a 37.4% reduction (from 89.07 ± 3.59 μg/L to 55.78 ± 7.39 μg/L). During weeks 1–4, both treatments reduced prolactin similarly. Subsequently, the ARI effect plateaued, while the vB6 effect remained robust. The vB6 group showed better alleviation of psychotic symptoms and cognitive impairment. No serious ASEs were observed; ASEs were more frequent in the ARI group. AIHP reduction efficacy of vB6 was associated with baseline prolactin and triglyceride levels, total vB6 dosage, and education level. In conclusion, compared with the ARI group, TRS patients given vB6 showed better attenuation of AIHP, lower ASE scores, and greater improvements in clinical symptoms and cognitive impairments. These results support further consideration of vB6 as a putative treatment for AIHP.Trial Registration: ChiCTR1800014755

Effects of the combination of second-generation antipsychotics on serum concentrations of aripiprazole and dehydroaripiprazole in Chinese patients with schizophrenia

BackgroundAripiprazole (ARI) is often prescribed alone or in combination with other second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs) to treat patients with schizophrenia. However, this may increase the potential clinical significance of drug–drug interactions....

Influence of substituent and push‐pull effect on the chemical shifts of the carbon in bridging bond of 1‐furyl/thienyl‐2‐arylethylene

AbstractSixty‐six samples of 1‐furyl/thienyl‐2‐arylethylene model compounds XCHCHArY (abbreviated XEBY) were synthesized. The nuclear magnetic resonance spectra (NMR) of model compounds were determined. The chemical shift δC(X) and δC(Y) of the carbon atoms in bridging bond CHCH which connected to the X group and the ArY group, respectively, were confirmed with the two‐dimensional NMR method. The effect of substituent on the δC(X) and δC(Y) was studied, meanwhile, the push‐pull effect of substituent on ΔδC = δC(Y) − δC(X) and δC(Y/X) = δC(Y)/δC(X) were discussed. The results show the following: (a) Both the δC(X) and δC(Y) are affected by excited‐state substituent constant of group X, Hammett constant σ(Y), and excited‐state substituent constant of group Y. The effect of σ(Y) on the δC(X) is positive, whereas that on the δC(Y) is negative. That is to say, the σ(Y) of group Y has an alternative influence on the δC(X) and δC(Y). (b) Compared with furyl, there is a p‐d effect formed by the 3d orbit of S atom and the p electron of the π system in thienyl, which increase the chemical shift of the carbon atoms in bridging bond. (c) The push‐pull effect between substituent X and Y is not only affected by the σ parameter but also related to the parameter, which results from the combined effect of the two parameters σ and . The observation of this paper provides a new perspective in understanding the push‐pull effect of substituent.

Relation of Nutritional Intake and Allergic Rhinitis in Infants: Using the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) 2013~2016

Objectives: This study examined the relationship between the presence of allergic rhinitis and the nutritional intake levels of Korean infants. Methods: The study involved a total of 1,214 infant subjects aged 1~5 months from the 2013~2016 KNHNES (Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey). The Subjects were classified into two groups based on the presence of allergic rhinitis: Non-allergic rhinitis infants (NARI, n=1,088) and allergic rhinitis infants (ARI, n=126). The general characteristics and family history of allergies, nutrient intake status, nutrient supplement intake, and breast milk and baby food start period data of the two groups were compared. All statistical analyses accounted for the complex sampling design effect and sampling weights. Results: The mean age was 0.5 years old in the ARI group compared to the NARI group. In the residence, the rate of urban was higher in ARI. The family history revealed a significant difference between the two groups, particularly those of mothers rather than fathers. The nutrient intake levels were high in energy, phosphorus, sodium, potassium, iron, riboflavin, niacin, and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Breastfeeding was significantly higher in the ARI group than in the NARI group. The baby food start period was 0.3 months earlier in NARI group than in ARI group. The height, body weight, and birth weight were higher in ARI group than NARI group. The result of Odds ratio analysis showed that excess energy, protein, calcium, phosphorus, iron, riboflavin, and niacin intake increases the risk of allergic rhinitis. Conclusions: These results can be used as data to develop nutrition guidelines for allergic rhinitis infants.

Systemic corticosteroids for acute otitis media in children.

Acute otitis media (AOM) is a common acute infection in children. Pain is its most prominent and distressing symptom. Antibiotics are commonly prescribed for AOM, although they have only a modest effect in reducing pain at two to three days. There is insufficient evidence for benefits of other treatment options, including systemic corticosteroids. However, systemic corticosteroids are potent anti-inflammatory drugs, and so theoretically could be effective, either alone or as an addition to antibiotics. To assess the effects of systemic corticosteroids (oral or parenteral), with or without antibiotics, for AOM in children. We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) which contains the Cochrane ARI Group's Specialised Register, MEDLINE (Ovid), Embase (Elsevier), CINAHL (EBSCO), Web of Science (Thomson Reuters), and LILACS (BIREME) for published studies, and ClinicalTrials.gov and the World Health Organization (WHO) International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP) for completed and ongoing studies, to 20 February 2018. We checked the reference lists of all primary studies and review articles for additional references and contacted experts in the field to identify additional unpublished materials. We included randomised controlled trials of children with AOM that compared any systemic corticosteroid (oral or parenteral) with placebo, either with antibiotics (corticosteroid plus antibiotic versus placebo plus antibiotic) or without antibiotics (corticosteroid versus placebo). Three review authors (EDS, RR, YP) independently screened the titles and abstracts and retrieved the full texts of potentially relevant studies. We independently extracted study characteristics and outcome data from the included studies, and assessed the risk of bias for each study using the criteria outlined in the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions. We assessed study quality using the GRADE method. We included two studies involving 252 children with AOM aged from three months to six years receiving hospital ambulatory care who were treated with intramuscular ceftriaxone, and who were then randomised to the corticosteroid group (corticosteroid and corticosteroid plus antihistamine) or the placebo group (antihistamine and double placebo). In one study, children also had a needle aspiration of middle ear fluid. Both studies were at unclear risk of bias for allocation concealment, and unclear to high risk of bias for selective reporting.One study (N = 179) included pain as an outcome, but we were unable to derive the proportion of children with persistent pain at Day 5 and Day 14. Reduction of overall or specific symptoms was presented as improvement in clinical symptoms and resolution of inflamed tympanic membranes without the need for additional antibiotic treatment: at Day 5 (94% of children in the treatment group (N = 89) versus 89% in the placebo group (N = 90); risk ratio (RR) 1.06, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.97 to 1.16) and Day 14 (91% versus 87%; RR 1.05, 95% CI 0.95 to 1.17). Low-quality evidence meant that we are uncertain of the effectiveness of corticosteroids for this outcome.The second study (N = 73) reported a reduction of overall or specific symptoms without additional antibiotic treatment during the first two weeks as a favourable outcome. Children in the treatment group had more favourable outcomes (adjusted odds ratio 65.9, 95% CI 1.28 to 1000; P = 0.037), although the numbers were small. We were unable to pool the results with the other study because it did not report the proportion of children with this outcome by treatment group. Only one study reported adverse effects of corticosteroids (e.g. drowsiness, nappy rash), but did not quantify incidence, so we were unable to draw conclusions about adverse effects. Neither study reported a reduction in overall or specific symptom duration. The evidence for the effect of systemic corticosteroids on AOM is of low to very low quality, meaning the effect of systemic corticosteroids on important clinical outcomes in AOM remains uncertain. Large, high-quality studies are required to resolve the question.

On Identities and m-Neutral Sequences of n-Ary Groups

In this paper, we study such polyadic analog of an identity of a group as m-neutral sequence. In particular, we prove that all Post’s equivalence classes of the free covering group of any n-ary group [where \(n = k(m - 1) + 1\) and \(k\ge 1\)] defined by m-neutral sequences form the \((k + 1)\)-ary group, which is isomorphic to the n-ary subgroup of all identities of the n-ary group in the case when \(m = 2\).

On identities of an n-ary group

Known and new results on identities of an [Formula: see text]-ary group are studied in this paper.

The expression of aldose reductase and therapeutic benefits of their inhibition in rats injuried spinal cord

Objective To discuss the expression of Aldose reductase in acute spinal cord injury and the effect of Aldose reductase inhibitor on spinal cell apoptosis.Methods One hundred and fifty SD adult rats were randomly assigned to sham group (n =50),acute spinal cord injury (n =50 ),Aldose reductase inhibitor (Epalrestat Tablets) group (n =50),each group is divided into five sub- groups(6,12,24,48,72 h sub-groups).In the sham group,only laminectomy was applied; In the SCI group and the ARI group,the model were made by Allen' s method.The pathological changes in injured spinal cord were observed with hematoxylin and eosin staining.The aldose reductase was detected by Elisa methods.The TdTmediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) method was employed to determine neuronal apoptosis.Results After injury 6,12,24,48 and 72 h,the grey and white matter structure of damage area were damaged,with cavity forming and inflammatory cells infiltrating.The degree of ARI group was lighted than SCI group.The content of aldose reductase in the sham operation group after injury 3,12,24,48,72 h were (10.75 ±0.47),(10.61 ±0.44),(10.62±0.55),(10.92±0.49),(10.57±0.52) U/L,the AR contents of SCI group at corresponding time were ( 12.17 ± 0.65 ),( 14.09 ± 0.61 ),( 14.58 ± 0.72 ),( 15.45 ±0.47 ),( 15.33 ± 0.29 ) U/L,and the AR content of the ARI group at corresponding time were ( 10.84 ±0.21),(12.70±0.47),(12.84±0.55),(12.28±0.54),(11.95±0.90) U/L.The AR content of the SCI group at each time point were significantly higher than the shame operation group and ARI group ( P ＜0.05 ).The spinal cord apoptotic cells were rarely seen in the sham operation group at each time point.The apoptotic rates (％) of SCI group after injuried 3,12,24,48,72 h were were 8.45±0.51,27.38 ± 3.19,32.59 ±3.36,39.04 ±4.51,23.48 ±2.40,and the rates of the ARI group at corresponding time were 8.21 ±0.52,18.69 ±1.63,22.64 ±2.18,25.61 ±3.53,16.48 ± 2.23.The neuron apoptosis rates of SCI group at 12,24 、48and 72 h were higher than that of the ARI group (P ＜ 0.05 ).Conclusion After acute spinal cord injury the expression of the AR increased,ARI may reduce the spinal cord neurons cell apoptosis. Key words: Spinal cord injury; Aldose reductase; Cell apoptosis

WITHDRAWN: Antibiotics for persistent nasal discharge (rhinosinusitis) in children.

Nasal discharge (rhinosinusitis) is extremely common in children. It is the result of inflammation of the mucosa of the upper respiratory tract, and is usually due to either infection or allergy. Infections may be caused by bacteria. To determine the effectiveness of antibiotics versus placebo or standard therapy in treating children with persistent nasal discharge (rhinosinusitis) for at least 10 days. In this updated review, we searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (The Cochrane Library Issue 1, 2005) which includes the ARI Group's specialised trials register; MEDLINE (1966 to April Week 3, 2005) EMBASE (1997 to December 2004), and the references of relevant articles were searched. Authors and pharmaceutical companies were contacted. All randomised controlled trials that compared antibiotics versus placebo or standard therapy. Trials which included the use of other medications were included if all participants were allowed equal access to such medications or if the additional or alternative therapies were regarded as ineffective. Trials that only combined or compared antibiotics with surgery, or sinus puncture and lavage, were not included in the review. Data were extracted by a single author for the following eight outcomes: overall clinical failure (primary outcome), failure to cure, failure to improve, clinical improvement, time to resolution, complications, side-effects and bacteriologic failure. For the dichotomous outcome variables of each individual study, proportional and absolute risk reductions were calculated using a modified intention-to-treat analysis. The summary weighted risk ratio and 95% confidence interval (CI) (fixed effect model) were calculated using the inverse of the variance of each study result for weighting (Cochrane statistical package, RevMan version 4.2). A total of six studies involving 562 children compared antibiotics with placebo or standard therapy. All studies were randomised but most were still susceptible to bias. Five of the studies were conducted in emergency, allergy or ENT clinics. Four of the studies required children to have x-ray changes consistent with sinusitis. Only the primary outcome (overall clinical failure) was reported in all studies. Around 40% of all randomised children did not have a clinical success documented when reviewed two to six weeks after randomisation. The control event rate varied from to 22 to 71% (mean 46%). The risk ratio estimated using a fixed effects model was 0.75 (95% CI 0.61 to 0.92). There was no evidence of statistical heterogeneity. Side effects (sufficient to cease treatment) occurred in 4 of 189 control group children (four studies). More children treated with antibiotics had side effects (17 of 330), but this difference was not statistically significant (RR 1.75, 95% CI 0.63 to 4.82). For children with persistent nasal discharge or older children with radiographically confirmed sinusitis, the available evidence suggests that antibiotics will reduce the probability of persistence in the short to medium-term. The benefits appear to be modest and around eight children must be treated in order to achieve one additional cure (number needed to treat (NNT) 8, 95% CI 5 to 29). No long term benefits have been documented. These conclusions are based on a small number of small randomised controlled trials and may require revision as additional data become available.

Vaccines for preventing pneumococcal infection in adults.

Diseases caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae (S. pneumoniae) continue to cause substantial morbidity and mortality throughout the world. Polysaccharide pneumococcal vaccines have been developed for over 50 years and may have the potential to prevent disease and death. To assess the effectiveness of polysaccharide pneumococcal vaccination in preventing disease or death in adults. Trials were identified by electronic searches of the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) issue 2, 2003 (which includes the Cochrane ARI Group's specialised register); MEDLINE (January 1966 to June 2003); and EMBASE (1974 to June 2003). We searched existing literature. The bibliographies of all newly revealed studies were read in order to identify further studies. The vaccine manufacturers, the lead authors of newly identified studies not included in existing meta-analyses were contacted. A) Prospective, randomised or quasi-randomised studies comparing pneumococcal vaccines with placebo, control vaccines or no intervention.B) Case-control studies (including indirect cohort studies) assessing pneumococcal vaccine effectiveness against invasive pneumococcal disease. Cohort studies are excluded. A) Randomised studies. Trial quality assessment was conducted by two reviewers (JH and DT). Data extraction was done by three reviewers (JH, DT, KD). There were many instances of unclear or incomplete data in the trial reports, and the final dataset was arrived at after much deliberation and discussion, including comparison with the data used in two previous reviews of this question. Due to the age of the trials (dating back to 1954 in one case) it was not generally possible to obtain clarification from the authors, though a partial clarification was achieved in one case.B) Non-randomised studies. Study quality was assessed by two reviewers (RA and KD). The combined results from the randomised studies fail to show that the polysaccharide pneumococcal vaccine is effective in preventing either pneumonia (outcome 6: odds ratio = 0.77, confidence interval 0.58, 1.02, number = 14) or death (outcome 8: odds ratio 0.90, confidence interval 0.76, 1.07, number = 11). Despite encouraging data from some very early trials, pooling trials published from 1977 on suggests there is no effect (outcome 6; odds ratio = 0.96, confidence interval 0.80, 1.15, number = 12; outcome 9: odds ratio = 0.98, confidence interval 0.88, 1.09, number = 10). The available data cannot distinguish whether this heterogeneity in results is due to improvements in trial methodology and reporting, to differences in trial setting or to real loss of efficacy over time. This is because the early, poorly reported trials were conducted in high-risk healthy populations where the expected benefit is greatest. The case-control studies show significant efficacy in preventing invasive pneumococcal disease: OR 0.47 (CI 0.37, 0.59) corresponding to an efficacy of 53%. While polysaccharide pneumococcal vaccines do not appear to reduce the incidence of pneumonia or death in adults with or without chronic illness, or in the elderly (55 years and above), the evidence from non-randomised studies suggests that the vaccines are effective in the reducing the incidence of the more specific outcome, invasive pneumococcal disease, among adults and the immunocompetent elderly (55 years and above). Surveillance data suggest that infection rates vary widely between and also within countries, but a typical figure in developed countries is 0.01%, or 10 per 100,000 per year. Efficacy of 50% then corresponds to a number-needed-to-treat (NNT) of 20,000 vaccinations per infection avoided, and perhaps 50,000 per death avoided.

Abnormal axonal inward rectifier in streptozocin-induced experimental diabetic neuropathy.

In order to explore the pathophysiology of diabetic neuropathy, we studied serial changes of axonal excitability in 20 adult Wistar rats with streptozocin-induced diabetes using the technique of threshold electrotonus (TE). After persistent hyperglycaemia had developed, rats were divided into two groups: nine were fed a diet containing aldose reductase inhibitor (Epalrestat 30 mg/kg/day) (ARI(+) group) and 11 were fed a diet without the inhibitor (ARI(-) group). Eight normal control rats of similar age (NC group) were also studied. We monitored membrane properties of motor axons in the tail for 3 months using TE to measure the changes in excitability induced by subthreshold polarizing currents while recording compound muscle action potentials (CMAPs) in the tail muscle. The ARI(-) group showed a significant increase in CMAP latency 1 month after streptozocin injection, and by 3 months there was significantly lower excitability after hyperpolarization for 100 ms compared with the NC group. A similar change in TE was reproduced by injection of caesium chloride, an inhibitor of inward rectification. By contrast, the ARI(+) group exhibited no significant change in TE or latency at 3 months, although they showed significant body weight loss and hyperglycaemia. These findings indicate that inward rectification is reduced in an experimental model, as in human diabetes, and that blocking the polyol pathway with an ARI prevents this reduction. Reduced inward rectification potentiates conduction block caused by activity-dependent hyperpolarization and may underlie the decreased vibratory sensation seen in the early stage of diabetic neuropathy.

In Praise of Conversation: Communication Between Disciplines

In Praise of Conversation: Communication Between Disciplines* fames L. Clifford WhENI WAS ASKED to say a few words this evening, I won­ dered why. What could a confirmed Johnson scholar have to say to an interdisciplinary group such as this? Dr. Johnson is hardly re­ membered by most people for his interest in the other arts; indeed, there are numerous stories proving just the opposite. He showed little interest in music. There are many amusing anecdotes, how authentic I cannot tell, which show him completely insensitive. He is reputed once to have asked "And pray, sir, who is Bach ? Is he a piper?”1 and when he once found a violin hanging on the wall at the home of young Francis Newbery, in whose future Johnson was much involved, he berated him sternly: "Young man, give the fid­ dle to the first beggar man you meet, or you will never be a schol­ ar.”2 Johnson refused to be impressed by skillful performances of baroque music. Once when taken to hear a famous violinist, whose pyrotechnics were universally admired, Johnson was inattentive and obviously bored. When his host tried to point out how difficult the piece was, Johnson burst forth "Difficult do you call it, Sir? I wish it were impossible.”3 Apparently because of his very bad eyesight, he was scarcely more interested in the visual arts. As Boswell admitted, Johnson "had no taste for painting,” and Sir Joshua Reynolds recalled that, when he and his friend would come into another friend’s house, Johnson would rush to examine the backs of the books on the shelves, while Sir Joshua observed the paintings.4 At times Johnson * Presidential address delivered at the annual dinner in Los Angeles, 24 March 1972. 3 Racism in the Eighteenth Century showed his disinclination to talk about other disciplines, such as politics or history. He once complained to Mrs. Thrale that at a Club meeting he had sat next to Charles James Fox, who insisted on talking at length about Catiline’s conspiracy. When Mrs. Thrale asked him what he had done, Johnson replied: "I withdrew my at­ tention, and thought about Tom Thumb.”5 Johnson was, first and foremost, an insular literary man. Proverbially he had little curios­ ity about Continental customs; he is reputed to have once agreed with a remark of an old friend who said, "For any thing I see, for­ eigners are fools.”6 But this is the folk image of Dr. Johnson—the eccentric char­ acter whom most people like to remember. It is only one side of the man. As Donald Greene and others have convincingly shown, there are other sides to Johnson which tend to be forgotten.7 Although the amusing individual anecdotes may well be true, the parochial Johnson they suggest is false. Roy Wiles has recently shown that he had inherently a strong response to beauty.8 While Johnson dis­ liked supercilious foreign visitors, one of his closest friends was an Italian, Giuseppe Baretti, who taught him a great deal about Con­ tinental literature. If Johnson was not a willing concertgoer, or a great enthusiast for Bach or Handel, one should remember that the two leading musicologists of his day, Sir John Hawkins and Dr. Charles Burney who wrote the first extensive histories of music, were among his most intimate friends. If his nearsightedness made it impossible for him to look at pictures on a wall, some of the great­ est painters and architects were his closest associates, and we now know that he served as a willing ghostwriter for groups of artists in their attempts to arrange exhibitions of their works. Indeed, he supported the aspirations of the artists in many ways. If Johnson could be bored by interminable talk about Catiline’s conspiracy, he was vitally interested in historical theory and did not scorn the past. The breadth of his interests—science, psychology, ancient litera­ tures, language—was enormous. Moreover, what is sometimes forgotten is the fact that what we usually think of as Johnson’s Club was essentially an interdisciplin­ ary group.9 Although the members may not have been specifically 4 In Praise of Conversation chosen with this in mind...