Synovial chondromatosis of the temporomandibular joint with intracranial extension

An unusual case of synovial chondromatosis of the temporomandibular joint with intracranial extension, which resulted in complete dehiscence of the floor of the middle cranial fossa, is reported. An overview of the current literature and a discussion of the diagnosis and surgical management of synovial chondromatosis are presented.     

Synovial chondromatosis of the distal radioulnar joint: a case report

The most definitive method for confirming the diagnosis of synovial chondromatosis is the identification of cartilaginous metaplasia within the synovium on histologic examination. In advanced stages of the disease, plain radiographs and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans demonstrate calcified and cartilaginous bodies, respectively, but in earlier stages, plain radiographic findings may be normal and MRI scans may reveal only nonspecific increased fluid. Although rare in the wrist, synovial chondromatosis must be considered in the differential diagnosis in a patient presenting with pain and swelling of the distal radioulnar joint. Surgical exploration of the joint and synovectomy, alone or in combination with removal of loose bodies, is the recommended treatment.     

A further study of the relationship between response bias and perceptual defense.

Ss were exposed to tachistoscopically-presented pairs of words and asked to report whether a particular word was on the left or right of a fixation point. A non-statistically-significant trend showed that Ss tended to demonstrate a response bias in terms of reporting anxiety or neutral words on one or the other side whether or not they were in fact on the stated side of the point. A 2nd phase of the experiment presented S with blank stimulus fields although S was expecting words. A response bias was not demonstrated. "… it is suggested that the use of a forced-choice spatial indicator of perception may undermine the motivational basis for perceptual defense." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Treatment of chondrosarcoma. A retrospective study at the Norwegian Radium Hospital

The authors present a retrospective analysis of 59 chondrosarcoma patients treated at the Norwegian Radium Hospital during the period 1981 to 1993. 31 patients were admitted with untouched tumour, seven after fine needle cytology and 20 after open biopsy or partial excision. One patient had recurrent local disease. Only 20% of the tumours were of high grade malignancy. 51 patients were treated by surgery. Reconstructions were performed in 16 patients, using allografts or endoprostheses. Amputations were performed in six cases and wide excision in 12 cases. In these 18 patients local recurrence appeared in one case, and two developed lung metastases. Only one of the 18 patients operated by amputation or wide excision has since died from chondrosarcoma. Marginal excisions were performed in 26 cases. Nine of these patients developed a local recurrence, five developed metastases and three have died. Six patients had partial excisions. Postoperative radiotherapy was given to one patient only. Five of the six are alive. In one case, the quality of the margins could not be evaluated. A total of 45 of the 51 patients treated for the primary tumour by surgery are alive. The median observation time is four years. Treatment of nonmetastatic chondrosarcoma should be surgical. Chondrosarcoma patients show wider variations in age, localization of tumour and tumour growth rate than patients with other bone sarcomas. Although wide excisions provide the best local control of any grade of malignancy, the mutilation or risk involved may be so great that some patients may benefit from marginal or even partial excision.     

A study of the relationship between syringoceles and Cobb's collar

OBJECT: To assess the association between the congenital narrowing of the bulbar urethra and syringoceles. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eleven boys were investigated, 10 with a cystogram and 9 with video endoscopy. The video tapes were reviewed with the radiology and the relationship between the syringocele and the narrowing of the bulbar urethra (Cobb's collar) was particularly noted. RESULTS: Seven of the 9 boys examined endoscopically were found to have a Cobb's collar near the proximal extent of the syringocele; the proximal extent of external sphincter appeared to be above and separate from the syringocele in all cases. Six of 10 patients had a syringocele and bulbar urethral narrowing seen at cystogram. CONCLUSIONS: It would appear that syringoceles are often associated with a Cobb's collar, in keeping with the possible origin of both structures from the region of the urogenital membrane. The narrowing in the bulbar urethra may, however, be an incidental finding in many of the cases.     

A study of the relationship between need satisfaction and absenteeism among managerial personnel.

Examined the relationship between need satisfaction and absenteeism for a sample of 40 managers in a state organization. The data indicate a positive relationship between dissatisfaction and absenteeism. The larger the need deficiencies, as measured by L. W. Porter's (see record 1963-05789-001) questionnaire format, the greater the rate of absenteeism. The relationship between dissatisfaction and absenteeism held when controlling for the effects of hierarchical level. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A 5-year study of change in the relationship between well-being and job performance.

Recent research, primarily cross sectional in nature, has established a link between psychological well-being and job performance ratings. Such findings suggest that organizations can improve their overall effectiveness by increasing worker well-being, but they provide little guidance as how these increases can be achieved. One means would be to select only those individuals with high well-being scores. However in addition to various ethical concerns, this approach could also be limited if the association between these two variables deteriorates as the time between the measurement increases. This possibility was examined in a 5-year longitudinal study. Consistent with the expectation of diminishing association, it was found that the well-being–performance relationship is influenced by the interval between assessment of well-being and assessment of performance. When well-being was measured at the same time as performance, or as long as a year before, the two were associated. When well-being was assessed 4.5 or 5 years before job performance, the relationship was no longer significant. Practical implications of these findings for both the individual and the organization are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Primary synovial chondromatosis of the ankle. A case report

A case of primary diffuse synovial chondromatosis of the ankle with long-term follow-up is reported. Trauma is implicated as a precipitating factor. This unusual, distinctive synovial neoplasm presents readily recognizable pathological features (Fig. 2). Specific diagnostic criteria are presented. The differential diagnosis of primary synovial chondromatosis includes secondary reactive synovial chondromatosis and synovial chondrosarcoma. The usual sources of osteochondritic loose bodies, on the other hand, are traumatic joint disruption, osteoarthritis, and infectious disorders. Acute primary synovial chondromatosis is adequately treated by removal of the loose bodies and synovectomy. Postoperative prognosis is dependent on the stage of the disease at the time of surgery. In this acute case, the patient had minimum impairment, and ankle roentgenograms twenty years after the arthrotomy were normal (Fig. 3).     

Stroke in Melbourne. A study of the relationship between a teaching hospital and the community

A prospective study of stroke admissions to the Royal Melbourne Hospital was planned to provide baseline information before the introduction of Medibank. One hundred and seventy patients admitted consecutively over a six-month period were followed until either three months had elapsed since admission, or death had supervened. Although over half the cases (57%) came from areas close to the hospital, the remainder come from a wide area embracing most of suburban Melbourne. Of the cases expected from the local areas, less than one-third were admitted to the Royal Melbourne Hospital. Expected demand for admission to hospital from the north-west region was calculated and the dependence of the community upon the private sector demonstrated.     

A critique and experimental design for the study of the relationship between productivity and job satisfaction.

"It is argued that the present approach to the study of the relationship between employee output and job satisfaction is not fruitful. What is needed is an examination of the characteristics of workers who are operating at a satisfactory level of both output and job satisfaction with workers and groups of workers who are not operating at such a level. A procedure is described which will permit the location of the workers who are operating at this 'optimal' level." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A relationship between self-esteem and persuasibility.

It was found that Ss high in self-esteem were influenced more by optimistic communications than by threatening communications, while Ss low in self-esteem showed the opposite pattern. These results occurred only among Ss who received communications from sources dissimilar to Ss with respect to personality characteristics. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Chordoma and chondrosarcoma: relationship to the internal carotid artery

In 6 patients with chordoma and 1 patient with a chondrosarcoma in the petroclival region, the internal carotid artery (ICA) showed a rather interesting relationship. The striking finding was the marked anterior (ventral) displacement of the adjacent segments of the ICA by the tumour. Complete encasement of the artery was not seen despite the massive size of the tumour. Narrowing of the caliber of ICA was seen in 1 case. The displacement of the ICA pointed toward the origin of the tumour and the pattern of its spread suggested pre-operatively the pathological diagnosis. Pre-operative recognition of the carotid artery neoplasm relation helped to better protect the ICA during surgery on these formidable lesions.     

General practitioners and smoking. General practitioners' knowledge, attitudes and smoking habits and the relationship between these assessed by a questionnaire study in the county of Aarhus

The objects of the investigation were to investigate the smoking habits of general practitioners, their assessment of tobacco as a risk factor for ischaemic cardiac disease, attitudes to intervention to stop smoking and to assess whether there was a connection between these. The project was carried out as a questionnaire investigation in the County of Aarhus, where all of the general practitioners received questionnaires. A total of 313 general practitioners replied to the questionnaire which corresponds to 84% participation. 33% of the general practitioners smoked and nine were chain smokers. The majority of the general practitioners accepted that smoking was a risk factor for ischaemic heart disease and were prepared to make great efforts to combat smoking. A connection was present between smoking habits and attitudes: Non-smokers considered that smoking was of great significance as a risk factor for ischaemic heart disease and were prepared to make efforts to alter the smoking habits of their patients. General practitioners doubted the effect of their advice about stopping smoking.     

The relationship between panic disorder and major depression. A new family study

OBJECTIVE: The comorbidity between panic disorder and major depression (MDD) in individuals has been amply documented. However, data from family studies to determine whether panic disorder and MDD aggregate separately or together in families have been inconclusive, in part because of the absence of studies with the full range of proband groups. This report presents results from a family study with the necessary mutually exclusive groups: panic disorder without MDD, panic disorder with MDD, MDD without panic disorder, and normal controls. METHODS: Diagnostic information was obtained from 193 probands and 1047 of their adult relatives with the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia--Lifetime Version for Anxiety Disorders by direct interview, and/or from multiple informants, without knowledge of proband diagnoses. Best-estimate diagnoses were based on all available information by clinicians independently of data collection and without knowledge of probands' and other relatives' status. RESULTS: Findings indicated the specific and independent transmission of panic disorder and MDD, the separation of panic disorder from MDD, and the nonfamilial nature of late-onset MDD. The pattern of results was unaffected by the use of different diagnostic criteria, number of informants, interview status of relatives, presence of substance abuse or agoraphobia or the sequence of MDD and panic disorder in probands, or whether probands were selected from treatment clinics or community sample. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that panic disorder and MDD are separate disorders with substantial co-occurrence in individuals, and that panic comorbid with MDD is not a single, distinct disorder. Finally, we illustrate an approach to examining comorbidity in family data through analysis of mutually exclusive, parallel diagnoses in probands and relatives.     

Adolescent children of alcoholic parents and the relationship of Alateen to these children.

25 adolescents with an alcoholic parent who are not members of Alateen (Group 1) had significantly higher scores on the negative scales of the Profile of Mood States and a significantly lower score on the positive scale and significantly higher scores (indicating low self-esteem) on the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale than a control group of 25 adolescents without an alcoholic parent or 25 adolescents who have an alcoholic parent but are members of Alateen. Group 1 also had problems at school or with law enforcement officials. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Gender and the relationship between job experiences and psychological distress: A study of dual-earner couples.

Examines the association between job role quality and psychological distress in a sample of 300 full-time employed dual-earner couples, controlling for such individual level variables as age, education, occupational prestige, and marital quality, and for such couple level variables as length of marriage, parental status, and household income. The magnitude of this effect is compared for men and for women. Results indicate that job role quality is significantly negatively associated with psychological distress for women as well as for men and that the magnitude of the effect depends little, if at all, on gender, casting doubt on the widely held view that job experiences more significantly influence men's mental health states than women's. The results are discussed in the context of differentiating between sex and gender differences. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The relationship between age and depressive symptoms in two national surveys.

There is inconsistency in the literature on the relationship between age and depressive symptoms. Although a careful review shows that some of this inconsistency can be reconciled by recognizing the nonlinear relationship (J. P. Newmann, 1989), 2 additional issues remain unclear. One is that most previous studies used depression screening scales that contain somatic items that could introduce an age bias. The other is that most previous studies combined samples of men and women even though there is evidence that the sex difference in depressive symptoms varies with age. These 2 issues are addressed in this article, using analyzed data from 2 large national surveys. There is a consistent, but quite modest, nonlinear association between age, somatic, and nonsomatic depressive symptoms in both surveys. There is no significant sex difference in the age curves. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A study of the relationship between neurological evidence of brain damage in children and activity and distractibility.

Compared a group of 24 boys and 12 girls, 5-8 yr. of age, with neurological evidence of brain damage (selected with IQs above 75 on the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test) to a control group (matched for sex) on a series of measures of activity and distractibility. It was found that (a) although the average IQs of both groups were within the normal range, control Ss were significantly more intelligent; (b) in a structured situation, brain-damaged Ss were more active; (c) in 3 of 4 distractibility tasks more brain-injured Ss than control Ss were distractible; and (d) in the free situation, sex and damage interacted. Correlational analysis of the group indicates that a strong set of interrelationships existed between variables in the experimental group. Central to these relationships was the input modality through which the stimuli was transmitted. Data are interpreted as indicating that brain injury affects the child's capacity to control his immediate exchanges with his environment in terms of activity level and attention. (16 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A meta-analytic review of the relationship between absence and turnover.

A meta-analysis that combined 33 correlations from 17 studies found a corrected average correlation of .330 between absence and turnover. The type of absence measure did not moderate the covariation between absence and turnover, but industry type and study duration did act as moderators. The results are discussed in the context of the "withdrawal" approach to understanding employee behaviors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)