Male

This study investigated the relationship between the perception of family functioning and depressive symptomatology in individuals with eating disorders (EDs). Subjects were evaluated by diagnostic clinical interview using DSM-III-R criteria for EDs, the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia-Lifetime Version (SADS-L), and two self-report measures, the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the Family Assessment Device (FAD). A significant association was found between self-reported depressive symptomatology and perceived poor family functioning. Subjects with bulimia nervosa (BN) reported a significantly more dysfunctional family background than subjects with anorexia nervosa (AN). In our sample, the presence of self-reported depressive symptomatology was a more powerful predictive variable for perceived family dysfunction than the diagnosis of affective disorder. Also, the diagnosis of BN was a more consistent predictor of dysfunctional family interaction than the diagnosis of affective disorder. Depressive symptoms and EDs seem to play different roles in the way in which they contribute to dysfunctional family patterns.

The mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI) is one of the most frequent diseases treated in emergency departments. Extensive studies addressing evidence-based treatment criteria have been published, the indication for CT scans depending on clinical symptoms appeared to be one of the critical issues. In this study, the question was raised whether or not the developed evidence-based criteria may be transferred to the patients of a German level 1 trauma centre. Within 2 years (2004/05) 1841 patients with a traumatic brain injury were treated, 1042 patients with a mild traumatic brain injury and with an age over 14 years were included in the study. The indication for a head CT scan was checked by criteria of a phase 3 study (New Orleans Criteria - NOC). Furthermore, the length of hospitalisation, number and character of secondary aggravation, and kind of inpatient care were analysed. 69.5 % of our patients were diagnosed with the help of a CT scan, according to the evidence criteria 98.8 % o...

Mitochondrial DNA depletion syndromes (MDSs) form a group of autosomal recessive disorders characterized by profoundly decreased mitochondrial DNA copy numbers in affected tissues. Three main clinical presentations are known: myopathic, encephalomyopathic and hepatocerebral. The first is associated with mutations in thymidine kinase 2 (TK2) and p53-induced ribonucleotide reductase B subunit (RRM2B); the second with mutations in succinate synthase A (SUCLA2) and B (SUCLG1); the third with mutations in Twinkle (PEO1), pol-γA (POLG1), deoxyguanosine kinase (DGUOK) and MPV17 (MPV17). In this work, we review the MDS-associated phenotypes and present our own experience of 32 MDS patients, with the aim of defining the mutation frequency of the known genes, the clinical spectrum of the diseases, and the genotype–phenotype correlations. Five of our patients carried previously unreported mutations in one of the eight MDS genes.

Although male partner cooperation is often essential for successful use of the female condom, only a few studies have directly assessed men's experiences of using the device. We examined barriers to and facilitators of female condom use via qualitative in-depth interviews with 38 young men (18 to 28 years) in South Africa whose partners, all university students, were enrolled in a female condom intervention trial. In all, 21 men used the female condom; the remaining 17 did not attempt use. The main facilitators to female condom use were convenience of use for men, curiosity to see how female condoms compared to male condoms, enhanced sexual sensation, and perceptions of better safety and comfort of the device compared to male condoms. The main barriers were men's limited familiarity with the device, insertion difficulties, and men's concerns about loss of control over sexual encounters. We recommend that human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention and condom promotion ...

There are frequent applications for endoscopy in neurosurgery. However, endoscopic surgery in children has peculiar characteristics and is associated with different rates of success. In this study, the authors report on their experience with 134 consecutive endoscopy procedures performed in 126 patients<18 years of age. Between April 1993 and October 2007, 134 endoscopic procedures were performed in 126 children. Indications for surgery included brain tumors in 48 children, cystic lesions in 24, aqueductal stenosis in 23, various malformations in 20, hemorrhage and infarction in 6, and isolated ventricles in 5 children. In this long-term followup study, data were analyzed with respect to clinical and radiological success rates, as well as shunt dependence both in relation to lesion origin, and to the type of endoscopic procedure performed (endoscopic third ventriculostomy [ETV], septostomy, aqueductoplasty, or cystocisternostomy). Finally, the influence of patient age on the succ...

Previous experimental studies have highlighted that citrulline (CIT) could be a promising pharmaconutrient. However, its pharmacokinetic characteristics and tolerance to loading have not been studied to date. The objective was to characterise the plasma kinetics of CIT in a multiple-dosing study design and to assess the effect of CIT intake on the concentrations of other plasma amino acids (AA). The effects of CIT loading on anabolic hormones were also determined. Eight fasting healthy males underwent four separate oral loading tests (2, 5, 10 or 15 g CIT) in random order. Blood was drawn ten times over an 8 h period for measurement of plasma AA, insulin and growth hormone (Gh). Urine samples were collected before CIT administration and over the next 24 h. None of the subjects experienced side effects whatever the CIT dose. Concerning AA, only CIT, ornithine (ORN) and arginine (ARG) plasma concentrations were affected (maximum concentration 146 (sem 8) to 303 (sem 11) μmol/l (ARG) a...

More than 20 years ago Habib Davanloo coined the term unlocking of the unconscious to describe how the psychodynamic concept of the human unconscious can become accessible using the technique of Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP). According to Davanloo, the possibility that unconscious material will be revealed is greatly increased when therapeutic efforts promote dominance of the unconscious therapeutic alliance over unconscious resistance. When these ingredients are present there is a psychic shift that allows unacceptable painful feelings to come to the surface. Toward adding further empirical support for the concept, in this article we compare outcomes between patients who experienced one or more major unlocking of the unconscious (N = 57) to those who did not experience major unlocking (N = 32) during ISTDP treatment. Significant and widespread differences were seen between these two groups, those with major unlocking had greater symptom reduction, interpersonal...

We investigated the occurrence and underlying processes of odor-color associations in French and American 6- to 10-year-old children (n = 386) and adults (n = 137). Nine odorants were chosen according to their familiarity to either cultural group. Participants matched each odor with a color, gave hedonic and familiarity judgments, and identified each odor. By 6 years of age, children displayed culture-specific odor-color associations, but age differences were noted in the type of associations. Children and adults in both cultural groups shared common associations and formed associations that were unique to their environment, underscoring the importance of exposure learning in odor-color associations.