Group treatment for postpartum depression: a pilot study

OBJECTIVE: There are few reports on the efficacy of treatment programs for women with postpartum depression, despite the long-term nature of this disorder. This study describes a pilot evaluation of a treatment program with educational, social support and cognitive-behavioural components. METHOD: Ten women with persistent depression originating in the postpartum period were offered a 10-week group treatment program and compared to a wait-list control group. RESULTS: Following treatment, a significant improvement in depression was demonstrated on the Edinburgh Post-Natal Depression Scale, Beck Depression Inventory, and Profile of Mood States. Several common factors in women suffering from postpartum depression were also identified, as were drop-out characteristics. CONCLUSION: These results are encouraging and suggest that a cognitive-behavioural group program might be effective as a treatment for depression in the postpartum period. However, further detailed studies are required to conform this pilot study.     

Field study of the fate of labelled fertilizer nitrate applied to barley and maize in sandy soils

The recovery in crop and soil of labelled fertilizer nitrate applied to barley and maize growing on a sandy soil was measured. The experimental plots, each measuring 4m × 4m, were situated on fields growing with barley and with maize. The barley received 50 kg N/ha as KNO₃ enriched with 5.99 At.%¹⁵N excess while the maize received 113 kg N/ha as KNO₃ labelled with 5.014 At.%¹⁵N excess. Otherwise, the plots were treated the same as the rest of the field. At harvesting, the barley and the maize plots were subdivided into nine and six sub-plots respectively. Plant samples, including the roots and soil samples up to 1 m depth were collected in each sub-plot. Fertilizer N recovery in the samples was measured. In the plants, the N derived from the fertilizer (Ndff) was 24.0% and 16.7% in barley and maize, respectively. The percentage of the applied fertilizer recovered by barley was 57%; for maize, only 18%. The movement of fertilizer N was restricted to the top 50 cm in the barley plot, whereas in the maize plot, the fertilizer N could be detected down to 90 cm. The amount of fertilizer N remaining in the soil at harvest was 32% for the barley and 68% for the maize plot. The loss of fertilizer N under barley was 10% and 14% under maize. The loss was attributed mainly to denitrification. The means and the variances of total N uptake by plants inside the¹⁵N plot and outside the¹⁵N plot were compared. They did not differ significantly, indicating that the results obtained from the¹⁵N plot can be extrapolated to the rest of the field.     

PD153035, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, prevents epidermal growth factor receptor activation and inhibits growth of cancer cells in a receptor number-dependent manner

PD153035 is reported to be a specific and potent inhibitor of the epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor tyrosine kinase and, to a lesser degree, of the closely related HER2/neu receptor. We show that PD153035 inhibits EGF-dependent EGF receptor phosphorylation and suppresses the proliferation and clonogenicity of a wide panel of EGF receptor-overexpressing human cancer cell lines. EGF receptor autophosphorylation in response to exogenous EGF was completely inhibited at PD153035 concentrations of >75 nM in cells overexpressing the EGF receptor. In contrast, PD153035 only reduced heregulin-dependent tyrosine phosphorylation in HER2/neu-overexpressing cell lines at significantly higher concentrations (1400-2800 nM). PD153035 exposure did not affect the expression of either EGF receptors or HER2/neu. PD153035 caused a dose-dependent growth inhibition of EGF receptor-overexpressing cell lines at low micromolar concentrations, and the IC50 in monolayer cultures was less than 1 microM in most cell lines tested. At doses of up to 2.5 microM, the IC50 for HER2/neu-overexpressing cells was not reached. In colony-forming assays, the PD153035 growth-inhibitory activity in cultures driven by endogenous (autocrine) ligand was correlated with EGF receptor number, with higher activity in cells expressing higher numbers of EGF receptors and only minimal activity in cells expressing normal numbers of EGF receptors but high HER2/neu levels. PD153053 also abolished all growth effects mediated by the addition of exogenous EGF; this condition could be reversed upon removal of the compound. Cotreatment with C225, an anti-EGF receptor-blocking monoclonal antibody, further enhanced the antitumor activity of PD153035, suggesting mechanisms of action for C225 other than competition with ligand binding. This latter finding also suggests that combined anti-EGF receptor strategies may be of enhanced benefit against tumors with high levels of EGF receptor expression.     

Ultrasonography and intravenous urography in the diagnosis of blunt renal trauma

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the sensitivity of renal ultrasonography and intravenous urography in renal trauma. METHODS: An extensive analysis on the sensitivity of IVP and US in the assessment of renal trauma was conducted using CT, renal selective arteriography or surgical exploration as the gold standard tests of reference to validate the initial diagnosis. RESULTS: IVP and US are useful techniques because of their high sensitivity in the diagnosis of renal trauma. The sensitivity of US decreases as the severity of the trauma increases (75% for grade I, 88.9% for grade II, 73.3% for grade III and 0% for grade IV), while that of IVP remains high for all degrees of severity (100% for grade I, 92% for grade II, 100% for grade III and 100% for grade IV). CONCLUSIONS: IVP and US were found to be useful techniques because of their high sensitivity in the diagnosis of blunt renal trauma. The sensitivity of US decreases as the severity of the trauma increases, while that of IVP remains high for all degrees of severity.     

Risk factors for substance use disorders among inpatients with major affective disorders in Taiwan Chinese

The explanation by differential diagnosis of pathological changes of the fundus may be particularly difficult in case of diseases of sporadic occurrence. The examination findings in a 19-year-old patient with a choroidal osteoma are presented. Large arciform, atrophic areas with distinct boundaries and star-shaped vascular structures were dominant in the fundus on both sides. With peripapillar manifestation, the optic nerve head was ophthalmoscopically noncontributory. A submacular bleeding had caused sudden reduction of visual acuity and caused the patient to visit the ophthalmologist. The most important diagnostic key was supplied by echography, which established peripapillar scleral calcification. The posterior eye segment was highly reflective in ultrasonic echography (B mode), showing concave deformation and causing the sound shadow. Visually evoked potentials indicated the onset of the compression of the optic nerve by the choroidal osteoma. Diagnostic and treatment possibilities are discussed.     

Radiostrontium analytical method using crown-ether compound and Cerenkov counting and its applications in environmental monitoring

The radiostrontium content in environmental samples was determined by chemical analysis by means of the fuming nitric acid method and ion exchange method with low-level beta counting and the newly developed method using crown-ether compound. Counting was performed with a low-background counter and a liquid scintillation counter together; the latter was the Cerenkov counting method. All results obtained by these three methods were in good agreement. The time for chemical separation of radiostrontium, using crown-ether compound, is much faster than fuming nitric acid and ion exchange methods. However, due to the high background of the liquid scintillation counter, the detection limit for Cerenkov counting is about two times higher than that for low-background counting.     

Metronidazole has no antibacterial effect in Cornell model murine tuberculosis

SETTING: Experiments in vitro on the bactericidal activity of metronidazole and in the Cornell model of murine tuberculosis. OBJECTIVE: To assess the sterilising activity of maximal metronidazole dosage and its activity against bacilli held dormant by immunity in the mouse. DESIGN: In vitro experiments showed that metronidazole was only bactericidal at attainable concentrations (50-100 microg/ml) under anaerobic conditions. In the Cornell model, isoniazid 25 mg/kg and high dosage pyrazinamide 1000 mg/kg was given in the diet with and without 1500 mg/kg metronidazole for the initial 14 weeks of sterilising chemotherapy. In the subsequent sterile state, metronidazole at 0, 100 and 250 mg/kg was given by daily gavage for 6 weeks. Finally, the mice were given 3 weeks of high dosage steroids and their organs were cultured in selective liquid medium. RESULTS: Metronidazole had no activity either in the initial sterilising phase or in the subsequent sterile state. CONCLUSION: The O2 tension in the cellular lesions of murine tuberculosis is unlikely to be sufficiently low to allow metronidazole to act. Its activity should be assessed in caseous lesions.     

Solitary maxillary central incisor in the midline associated with systemic disorders

A single maxillary central incisor in the midline is a rare developmental anomaly. The appearance of a single incisor in place of two teeth may occur as an isolated dental finding that can be related to fusion of two neighboring teeth or to agenesis of a tooth germ. However, the condition has also been reported to occur in association with autosomal dominant holoprosencephaly, growth retardation, and midline developmental defects. This article reports on other systemic defects that can be found in association with a single maxillary central incisor.     

Paradoxical effect of GM-CSF gene transfer on the tumorigenicity and immunogenicity of murine tumors

Because forensic psychiatry is a relatively small field, there are few computer applications designed particularly for it. Forensic psychiatrists use personal computer in many ways that are similar to other psychiatrists, but certain aspects of forensic practice, such as an emphasis on precise reports, regular interactions with attorneys, use of legal databases and materials, and travel, call for utilizing available programs in different ways. Since forensic psychiatry draws on the knowledge of psychiatry, law, and criminology, the World Wide Web has become a particularly useful resource for information. An array of applications and resources of particular interest to forensic psychiatrists are presented. Computer education, "telemedicine," and teleconferencing are still in their infancy in forensic psychiatry, but are likely to increase in use as these technologies mature.