Chylothorax: causes, diagnosis, therapy

The ductus thoracicus acts as the main vessel of the lymphatic system that flows into the venous system. It has the function of transporting lipis resorbed from the intestinal tract. Diseases of the thoracic duct are very rare and mostly result of injuries, tumors or as in most cases secondary infections. The main symptom in these cases is the presence of chylus outside of the ductus thoracicus, mainly in the thoracal spaces. Depending on the cause chylothorax is defined as traumatic, symptomatic or idiopathic. Therapy consists in drainage or ligature of the ductus thoracicus. The prognosis is good unless the cause is a malignant tumor resp. depends on the disease which is the cause of the chylothorax.     

Hydroxychloroquine: past, present, future

OBJECTIVE: To examine the trends in motor vehicle exhaust gas suicides since 1970 and to investigate the impact of catalytic converters. DESIGN: Australia-wide database analyses and a retrospective stratified series of 100 Victorian cases. DATA SOURCES: Australian Bureau of Statistics, 1970-1995; Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, National Injury Surveillance Unit, 1991/92-1995/96; Victorian Coroner's files, 1994-1996. RESULTS: There were 509 motor vehicle exhaust gas suicides in Australia in 1995, representing 22% of total suicides. Since the 1986 requirements for reduced carbon monoxide emissions from new vehicles (and thus the use of catalytic converters), the absolute numbers and rates of such suicides have increased, and they have come to represent a larger percentage of total suicides. Of 75 Victorian victims' vehicles traced, 36% were manufactured during or after 1986, showing that exhaust gas suicides have occurred in vehicles with catalytic converters. Blood carboxyhaemoglobin levels did not differ between victims using vehicles with or without catalytic converters. Between 1976 and 1991 exhaust gas suicides increased at a faster rate than motor vehicle registrations. Australian hospital admissions for exhaust gas suicide attempts have increased substantially since 1991-1992. CONCLUSION: Catalytic converters and the associated lower CO emission limits of 9.3 g/km had not, by 1995, resulted in a reduction in numbers, rates or percentages of exhaust gas suicides in Australia.     

Book review: Perfectionism: Theory, research, and treatment.

Review of book: Perfectionism: Theory, research, and treatment, Gordon L. Flett and Paul L. Hewitt (Eds), See record 2002-02485-000. Washington DC: American Psychological Assocation, 2002, 435 pp. Hardcover. ISBN 1-55798-842-0. Reviewed by Peter Bieling. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Publication: Who, where, why, what?

Examines factors affecting who publishes what, where, and for what motivation and describes these factors with personal salience to the author of 3 books and 95 articles. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychogenic stress: theory, experiment, practice

Experiments on animals (rodents, beasts, primates) and observation in man have ascertained that psychogenic stress is the most important defensive state of living organisms, which is constantly involved in order to maintain their interaction with external psychogenic factors. Three types of stress should be distinguished, these include normostress, hypostress, and hyperstress. Normostress has definite limits within which optimal responses, which are typical for an individual are realized. Hyperstress develops as a defensive response to extremely strong (extraordinary) stimuli. Hypostress can be observed in the retarded development of self-regulation mechanisms. All three types of stress are provided by a fundamental property of living organisms--the self-regulation mechanism, which realizes the keeping back of normostress constancy, or return of hyper- and hypostress to the normostress status. And only if an extreme deficit of self-regulation mechanisms takes place, hyper(hypo)stress could become a condition for the development of pathology.     

Gabapentin: pharmacokinetics, efficacy, and safety

Gabapentin is a new antiepileptic drug (AED) with an attractive pharmacokinetic profile. It is absorbed by an active and saturable transport system, and has a high volume of distribution. Gabapentin is not bound to plasma proteins, does not induce hepatic enzymes and is not metabolized. At steady state, it has a half-life of 6-8 h, and is eliminated unchanged by renal route with a plasma clearance proportional to the creatinine clearance. It is devoid of significant drug-drug interactions when administered with the established AEDs or with oral contraceptives. Gabapentin used as an add-on AED significantly reduced the frequency of partial seizures and secondarily generalized tonic-clonic seizures in three large double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group clinical trails. It is well tolerated, with transient somnolence and dizziness being the most frequent adverse effects. Although the mechanism of action of gabapentin is not fully established, there is strong evidence to suggest a novel mechanism of action. Gabapentin is a unique and promising drug that could improve the quality of life of patients with epilepsy and is a welcome addition to the armamentarium of currently available AEDs for the treatment of patients with seizures of partial onset.     

Rotational atherectomy: technique, indications, results

Immunoperoxidase staining was performed for estrogen and progesterone receptors in 93 cases of primary breast carcinoma. Breast tumor samples were fixed in formalin and embedded in paraffin. Antigen retrieval was performed by microwave heating in citrate buffer, pH 6.0, using precisely defined and reproducible conditions. The cases studied included material from the current year and from paraffin blocks retrieved from archival storage dating back to 1981. In all cases, estrogen and progesterone receptor values determined by biochemical assay were available for comparison with the immunohistochemical results. We found 94% agreement of results between the two methods.     

Halitosis: causes, diagnosis, and treatment

Halitosis is a major concern to the general public and the source of a multimillion-dollar industry world wide. Although the aetiology may be localised to the oral cavity in up to 90 percent of instances, halitosis may indicate a serious underlying medical condition necessitating medical referral. In general, halitosis of an oral cause can be safely and easily diagnosed and treated by the general dental practitioner.     

Iridium: Production, consumption, and prospects

Tendencies of the rise of consumption of high-purity iridium and its alloys in various branches of industry and medicine are shown. Fields in which iridium are applied are presented (wire, rings, tubes, discs, etc.). Data on the influence of impurities on production, service, and the mechanical properties of iridium are given. The possibilities of increasing the quality of compounds after refining iridium with electronbeam remelting and plastic deformation are shown.     

Introduction to the special issue: Testing: Concepts, policy, practice, and research.

Suggests that the social questioning and scientific probing of psychological testing has lasting benefits. Public debate has inspired new and creative thinking about the goals and uses of testing, the technology of test design, the interpretation of test scores, the adequacy and limitations of the theoretical foundations of psychological measurement, and the consequences of current practices. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Chiropractic: origins, controversies, and contributions

Chiropractic is an important component of the US health care system and the largest alternative medical profession. In this overview of chiropractic, we examine its history, theory, and development; its scientific evidence; and its approach to the art of medicine. Chiropractic's position in society is contradictory, and we reveal a complex dynamic of conflict and diversity. Internally, chiropractic has a dramatic legacy of strife and factionalism. Externally, it has defended itself from vigorous opposition by conventional medicine. Despite such tensions, chiropractors have maintained a unified profession with an uninterrupted commitment to clinical care. While the core chiropractic belief that the correction of spinal abnormality is a critical health care intervention is open to debate, chiropractic's most important contribution may have to do with the patient-physician relationship.     

Editorial: Ave, Atque, Vale.

Presents the current author's "hail and farewell" as editor of Professional Psychology, a post which he has served for the past 6 years. Congratulations are extended to the new editor Norman Abeles. The author notes that he has simply attempted to build upon the solid foundation that Donald Freedheim, the founding editor of Professional Psychology, "so ably established". (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)