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To determine whether the developing semantic lexicon varies with culture, we examined the animal and food naming of children from three communities distinguished by language, cultural heritage, and population density. The children were five- and seven-year-olds from Australia (n = 197), Taiwan (n = 456), and the US (n = 172). Naming patterns revealed hierarchical and flexible organization of the semantic lexicon. The content of the lexicon, particularly food names, varied with cultural heritage. In all three communities, wild mammals were predominant during animal naming, a likely influence of children's media. The influence of the Chinese zodiac was evident in the clustering of animal names in the Taiwanese sample. There was no apparent influence of population density and little influence of language, except that the Taiwanese children more frequently named foods at the superordinate level, a possible influence of the structure of Mandarin. Children develop their lexicons in response to culture as experienced first-hand or through media.

Background: Recurrent pyogenic cholangitis is a complex biliary tract disease characterized by intrahepatic pigment stones, endemic to Southeast Asia and seen with increasing frequency in the United States. The purpose of this study was to review the management of this disorder in a county hospital., Methods: A retrospective review of 45 patients with recurrent pyogenic cholangitis evaluated between 1984 and 1995. The clinical and surgical management of patients with localized versus bilateral hepatolithiasis were compared., Results: The prevalence of recurrent pyogenic cholangitis at our hospital has more than doubled since 1983. Fourteen of 45 patients (31%) had bilateral disease and required more abdominal computed tomography scans (P < 0.01), percutaneous cholangiograms (P < 0.05), endoscopies (P < 0.01), clinic visits (P < 0.05), and hospital admissions (P < 0.02) as compared with patients with localized disease., Conclusions: The effective treatment of recurrent pyogenic cholangitis requires definition of the patients' intrahepatic distribution of disease, prior to surgical intervention, and the coordinated efforts of gastroenterologists, radiologists, and surgeons.