New lipid lowering drugs and new effects of old drugs

Old lipid acting drugs (fibrates, resins and niacin) continue to demonstrate morbidity and mortality benefits with variable efficacy and safety. Controlled trials have provided efficacy and safety data that support the use of statins as the first choice in the treatment and prevention of atherosclerosis. Knowledge of old and new mechanisms of action, optimal doses, pharmacokinetic behavior and drug interactions improve the safety and effectiveness of these hypolipidemic agents.     

Extracting significant Website Key Objects: A Semantic Web mining approach

Web mining has been traditionally used in different application domains in order to enhance the content that Web users are accessing. Likewise, Website administrators are interested in finding new approaches to improve their Website content according to their users' preferences. Furthermore, the Semantic Web has been considered as an alternative to represent Web content in a way which can be used by intelligent techniques to provide the organization, meaning, and definition of Web content. In this work, we define the Website Key Object Extraction problem, whose solution is based on a Semantic Web mining approach to extract from a given Website core ontology, new relations between objects according to their Web user interests. This methodology was applied to a real Website, whose results showed that the automatic extraction of Key Objects is highly competitive against traditional surveys applied to Web users.     

Sexual feelings, fantasies, and acting out in psychotherapy.

Examined the unconscious meanings of sexual feelings and sexual acting out in therapy from a psychodynamic point of view. The related literature on the ethical, legal, political, and theoretical aspects of sex in therapy is summarized. The major assumption of the present paper is that acting out frequently results from the therapist's failure to understand that sexual feelings are fairly common products of therapy as well as metaphors for the expression of nonsexual issues. The discussion is based on the general principles of psychoanalytic theory and observation of clients who were involved in sexual intimacies with former therapists. Technical guidelines—derived from the theory—to avoid sexual entanglements with patients are presented. (46 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comparative effects of atenolol versus celiprolol on serum lipids and blood pressure in hyperlipidemic and hypertensive subjects

Antihypertensive drugs may affect serum lipoprotein levels in mixed populations but data in hyperlipidemic patients are scanty. Atenolol versus celiprolol effects on serum lipoproteins were compared in 159 hyperlipoproteinemic hypertensive patients. This was a randomized, double-blind, parallel-group, positive-controlled multicenter trial with centralized lipoprotein laboratory and diet constancy monitoring. Blood pressure reduction and serum lipoprotein and apoprotein levels were monitored for 3 months. Both drugs reduced systolic and diastolic blood pressures. Atenolol had greater effects than celiprolol on diastolic pressure, but effects on systolic blood pressure were not different. Patients receiving atenolol had lower serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels and higher low-density lipoprotein/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratios, whereas patients treated with celiprolol showed no contrasting changes. These differences in lipoprotein levels between drug treatment groups were statistically significant at weeks 9 and 12. The difference between drug treatments was also significant if the values of the 9- and 12-week visits were averaged. Patients taking atenolol had statistically significantly higher serum levels of total cholesterol, triglycerides and apoprotein B at 9 weeks. These divergent directional changes were consistent throughout and statistically significantly different between drugs.     

Disavowal and the Culture of Deadening: Revisiting Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut.

Using psychoanalytic constructs of necrophilia and disavowal, the author revisits Stanley Kubrick's (1999) film Eyes Wide Shut from a cultural perspective. Disavowal, the failure to fully grasp the meaning of what is perceived, may help explain why viewers missed disturbing necrophilia meanings in this film. Various faces of necrophilia (as orientations against life, neurotic fantasies, and true perversions) are discussed. The author speculates that participants in a contemporary culture may also use disavowal vis-a-vis values against life that some current institutions endorse. Kubrick's eye-opening message could be that people do not have their eyes wide open to see the violence embedded in the necrophilous model that some institutions hold, values that, in a marketing society, people may consume without sufficient awareness or questioning. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Third party recognition of psychological services.

Investigated reimbursement guidelines for psychological services among 26 insurance companies in Missouri. The most frequently covered services were individual inpatient and outpatient therapy. Group and family therapy were inconsistently covered, biofeedback was reimbursed by fewer insurers, marriage counseling was recognized by only one company, and vocational guidance by none. All companies specified benefit limits for nervous and mental conditions and had selection procedures to determine which providers were eligible for reimbursement. Issues of concern to state and national insurance committees are delineated. (1 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Erythromycin estolate vs. erythromycin base, surface excess properties and surface scanning changes in isolated liver cell systems

Chang liver cells and isolated rat hepatocytes were exposed to medium containing different concentrations of erythromycin estolate or erythromycin base for 1-5 h. Hepatotoxicity was quantitated by measuring leakage of enzymes from cells into surrounding medium and the damage to the plasma cell membrane seen under surface scanning electron microscopy. Only the cells exposed to erythromycin estolate showed significantly greater enzyme leakage than controls and appeared severely affected by cytopathic changes when observed under scanning electron microscopy.     

Perverse relatedness.

The film Gods and Monsters (Colichman & Condon, 1998) is used to illustrate coconstruction of a perverse fictional dyad receiving contributions from both members, where one of the individuals behaves in a manner resembling a destructive narcissistic characterological organization. The author highlights the significant power of ideological seduction of the other and notes how the fuel of ideology thrives in the altered reality of such a system. The film illustrates various strategies of perverse relatedness: sexualization, lies in word and action, verbal and physical invasiveness, attacks targeting the other's most valued aspects of self-image, confusion-creating maneuvers, acceptance-violation of agreements and limits, equalizing-fascinating tactics, masochistic exhibitionism, ideological seduction, and blurring the sense of what is real for the other. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)