The family and critical care nursing: a brief review of the literature

While there is generalised agreement in the literature on the importance of involving family members in critical care practice, there is little in regard to the roles and responsibilities of both nurses and families. There are many factors that can influence the nurse-family relationship, in both positive and negative dimension, and this relationship can impact significantly on the family member's experience of critical illness. It can also impact on his or her perception of need and need satisfaction. However, the complex nature of critical care practice may be too demanding, both physically and emotionally, for nurses to respond to many of the family's needs and concerns.     

Hamartoma of the larynx: a critical review of the literature

Though very rare compared to imported malaria, airport malaria should not be disregarded considering its very special gravity often due to late diagnosis. In most cases, it could be avoided if airlines and airports applied disinsecting measures vigilantly.     

Temporomandibular disorders: a critical review of the nature of pain and its assessment

Temporomandibular disorders is a common form of chronic pain affecting the head, face, and jaw. The distinguishing symptoms of this disorder include pain and impairment of the masticatory function, and frequent display of symptoms, ranging from aches in the head, neck, ears, and eyes, to atypical toothaches, throat symptoms, and occlusal changes. It is recognized that pain is a complex, multifactorial experience including not only sensory dimensions, but also affective and cognitive factors. Recent recommendations regard temporomandibular disorders as a dual-axis disorder with physical and psychologic dimensions, but little research has incorporated measures of multidimensional pain characteristics in the assessment of temporomandibular disorders. This article is a review of the literature on the psychophysiologic factors contributing to temporomandibular disorders and its limitations. Recommendations for future research are also given.     

Creativity in the psychoanalytic process

E. coli catalase (HPII) wild type and mutant enzymes (heme dcis-containing) were examined (i) to study the role of a distal haem cavity residue, asparagine-201, in high spin ligand binding and (ii) to compare the differences in this binding between heme d and protoheme enzymes such as that from beef liver (BLC). High spin fluoride complexes were formed by all three HPII catalases examined, wild type (201 asn) and 201gln and 201asp mutants, but with a lower fluoride affinity than that of BLC. The binding of fluoride was pH-dependent, indicating that a proton is bound as well as a fluoride anion. HPII 201glu and 201 asp mutants showed lower affinities for fluoride than did wild type, unlike their reactions with cyanide which are essentially independent of the nature of residue 201. The equilibria and rates of fluoride and formate binding to BLC were reexamined. The rates of reaction with formate were similar to those reported previously. Dissociation rates for fluoride-catalase are higher than for formate suggesting that the latter may be bound differently. High spin complexes between formate and all three HPII forms showed a substantially higher affinity than that of BLC for HPII wild type and progressively lower affinities for the two mutants. As with fluoride the reactions were pH-dependent, indicating that a proton is bound together with the formate anion (or that undissociated formic acid is the ligand). The known structures of the heme groups and heme pockets involved are discussed. Formate may be bound by secondary H-bounds within the heme pocket in both heme dcis and protoheme enzymes. The nature of the heme pocket and the heme access channel may be more important than the chemical nature of the prosthetic group in controlling both high spin ligand interactions and reactions with the substrate hydrogen peroxide.     

The reception of my Freud-critique in the psychoanalytic literature.

Responds to comments made over the years by Peter Caws (see record 2003-09630-003), Zvi Lothane (see record 2006-05420-005), Charles Hanly (1988), W. W. Meissner (see record 1991-03025-001), Paul Robinson (1993), Michael Scriven (1959), and Jon Mills, in response to the present author's crique of Freud. Some of the very extensive body of commentary on my psychoanalytic writings has been gratifyingly favorable, while other responses have been more or less adverse, and even denunciatory. Therefore, in this survey of "The Reception of My Freud-Critique in the Psychoanalytic Literature," I include my critical reactions to selected objections to my views, as well as noteworthy commendations of them. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The psychoanalytic process: The search for common ground.

The author examines the search for the common ground of the psychoanalytic process. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The vascular fellowship: a critical review

Spinocerebellar ataxia type 1 is due to a CAG repeat expansion in the gene encoding ataxin-1. In a case with an expansion of 56 repeats, intranuclear inclusions were found only in neurons, both in severely affected regions (such as the pons) and in areas where the lesions were inconspicuous (such as the cortex or the striatum). The inclusions were labelled by a monoclonal antibody directed against long polyglutamine stretches (1C2); they were also detected by the anti-ubiquitin antibody. They were faintly eosinophilic, Congo red negative and were not stained by thioflavin S or by ethidium bromide.     

Erythema dyschromicum perstans: report of a new case and critical review of the literature

Erythema dyschromicum perstans (EDP), described by Convit et al. in 1961, is a rare dermatosis. Its relationship with ashy dermatosis (AD), described by Ramirez in 1957, is still a matter of debate. We report a typical case of EDP. The patient, of North African origin, had a dyschromic (hypo- and hyperpigmented) eruption on the chest and limbs for 2 years. The lesions were occasionally surrounded by a papular border which spread slowly and centrifugally. Histological examination showed a lichenoid infiltrate. A carcinoma of the lung was simultaneously discovered. No treatment was given, EDP is infrequent and often considered identical to ashy dermatosis in the literature. However, the clinical aspects of the two diseases differ. The main features of these two diseases are reviewed and compared on the basis of a literature review. We conclude that EDP and AD are distinct clinical entities.     

Smoking following myocardial infarction: A critical review of the literature.

Reviews studies on the effects of quitting smoking following acute myocardial infarction (MI). Topics discussed include definitions of abstinence used in the literature, reliance on patient self-reports, and personality and environment variables. Findings indicate that a significant number of MI patients quit smoking without receiving formal training and that those who quit suffer less subsequent mortality from coronary heart disease. It is argued that studies have overestimated cessation rates and underestimated negative effects of continued smoking due to their methodology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The nature and dimensionality of organizational citizenship behavior: A critical review and meta-analysis.

This article reviews the literature on organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) and its dimensions as proposed by D. W. Organ (1988) and other scholars. Although it is assumed that the behavioral dimensions of OCB are distinct from one another, past research has not assessed this assumption beyond factor analysis. Using meta-analysis, the authors demonstrate that there are strong relationships among most of the dimensions and that the dimensions have equivalent relationships with the predictors (job satisfaction, organizational commitment, fairness, trait conscientiousness, and leader support) most often considered by OCB scholars. Implications of these results are discussed with respect to how the OCB construct should be conceptualized and measured in the future. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Exercise and breast cancer: review and critical analysis of the literature

Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer and cancer mortality among Canadian women. Based on the current incidence rates, the National Cancer Institute of Canada has estimated that one in 10 women will develop breast cancer during her lifetime. In an effort to control this disease, various prevention strategies have been proposed. One promising strategy involves the promotion of exercise in healthy women. It has been hypothesized that exercise may protect against breast cancer by influencing regularity of ovulatory cycles, by changing body fat composition, or by enhancing natural immunity. In this paper both the epidemiological and experimental evidence that speaks to a protective effect of exercise is reviewed. Although there are several biologically plausible mechanisms for the association, the existing epidemiological and experimental data are inconclusive due to the small number of studies and their methodological insufficiencies. However, given the enormous potential benefit of even a small protective effect of exercise, further studies designed to address the relationship between exercise and breast cancer risk are warranted.     

The 4S study: a critical review

A 24 year old combat medic was admitted to the field hospital at Tomislavgrad in Bosnia, with a suspected forearm, fracture. Radiographs did not show any bony injury. Clinical examination showed marked swelling and tenderness over the extensor compartment. The pain became more severe over the following 12 hours with the pain becoming most intensely felt in the extensors on passive extension. Fasciotomy for suspected acute compartment syndrome was carried out. Acute compartment syndrome is a common complication of extremity injury, and is a clinical diagnosis which should be suspected in all injuries with marked swelling and severe pain.     

Perineal dermatitis in the elderly. A critical review of the literature

The review of literature revealed a significant lack of research on the pathogenesis of perineal dermatitis in the elderly. The majority of what is known about this condition stems from the pediatric population. The differences between TEWL and skin surface pH levels in pediatric and geriatric skin raises questions about the further generalizability of the pediatric studies. There appears to be some controversy in the literature regarding whether baseline TEWL is increased or decreased in cutaneous aging. The literature did reveal some data indicating that skin surface pH increases with age; however, no data on the perineum was found. No studies examining the role of TEWL and skin surface pH and its association in the development of perineal dermatitis in the elderly were found. Additionally, no studies were found that examine the nursing variables identified in the literature search. The paucity of scientific data on this serious and costly condition warrants additional research in this area.     

Mind/body dualism in medicine: The case of chronic pelvic pain without organic pathology: a critical review of the literature

Chronic pelvic pain in the absence of organic pathology identifiable in medical terms is considered one of the most perplexing conditions that gynecologists confront. A critical analysis of the medical, psychiatric, and psychological literature on chronic pelvic pain without organic pathology reveals that the dichotomous construct of mind and body underpinning medical research and understanding is a barrier to the successful diagnosis and treatment of this condition, and indeed to the productive engagement of the health professional with the patient. The strict duality of the condition's etiology being understood in either physiological or psychogenic terms has been questioned at times over the last 40 years, but only recently has an "integrative model" been proposed. However, it is argued here that although the development of a multidisciplinary approach is important, only a radical deconstruction of the medical paradigm will truly address the problem and enable a real change in practice.