Functional longevity of intraperioneal drains: an experimental evaluation

Various types of drains were inserted into the peritoneal cavity of twenty-eight dogs. After one to seven days, all drains failed to show the presence of 200 cc of colored fluid injected intraperitoneally. On autopsy, all tubes were surrounded and occluded by omentum.     

Upper extremity replantation: current concepts and patient selection

Dramatic advances in replantation and microsurgery have somewhat altered the criteria we use in selecting patients to be candidates for upper extremity replantation surgery. We suggest that contraindications for such replantation are: presence of associated life-threatening injuries; serious anesthetic risk; preexisting medical or psychiatric problems; previous injury or disease of the amputated part; warm ischemic time greater than 6-8 hours for extremities or greater than 10-12 hours for digits; and single-digit amputations (except thumb, for grasp). Replantation is feasible when: amputated part is properly preserved; injury type is sharp amputation, mild to moderate crush, or selected avulsion, and amputation is proximal to the DIP joint. Careful preservation of the amputated part, not in dry ice, is mandatory. On an individual basis, the decision to attempt replantation rests on the prediction that the patient may have better function with such surgery than with a prosthesis.     

Limbic dysfunction in schizophrenia and mania. A study using 18F-labelled fluorodeoxyglucose and positron emission tomography

BACKGROUND: Diagnostic classes (derived from CATEGO) can be correlated with regional brain metabolism in patients with major psychiatric disorders. METHOD: Seventeen patients with schizophrenia, 15 with mania, 10 with depression and 10 healthy Volunteers were examined with positron emission tomography (PET) and 18F-labelled fluorodeoxyglucose, as a marker for glucose metabolism. The number of possible comparisons of regions of interest was reduced by principal-components analysis, and differences in factor scores were determined between diagnostic groups. RESULTS: Four independent factors, representing distributed brain systems, emerged: an anterior-posterior (1), a left-right temporal (2), a temporofrontal (3), and a mediofrontal (4) system, of which (1), (2) and (3) were abnormal in schizophrenia, (1) and (2) in mania, and (1) in depression. CONCLUSIONS: Abnormal patterns of metabolism could be detected, in decreasing order, in schizophrenia, mania and depression. Some of these abnormalities are likely to be due to medication, but others will be associated with structural or functional abnormalities of the frontolimbic system in the diagnostic groups.     

Effect of subject control and graduated exposure on snake phobias.

Investigated the influence of 2 of the variables in H. Leitenberg's graduated exposure technique for treating phobias, graduated exposure, and S control of the exposure time. 15 snake-phobic 18-60 yr old undergraduates were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 treatment groups: Group 1, S control, graduated exposure, feedback; Group 2, E control, graduated exposure, feedback; and Group 3, E control, nongraduated exposure, feedback. The exposure time of Group 2 was yoked to Group 1, and the exposure time for Ss in Group 3 was equal to the average time in Group 1. All treatments significantly reduced phobic behavior, as measured by avoidance behavior in the presence of the phobic object. Greatest reduction in behavioral avoidance was shown by Group 1, followed by Group 2. Group 3 showed the least reduction. Subjective fear significantly decreased from pretesting to posttesting for all groups, but the groups did not differ from each other on the posttest. (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)