Fractures of The Temporal Bone Involving The Ear

Thirty-nine cases of temporal bone fractures involving the ear, shown by radiology, have been described. A separate group of isolated tympanic fractures is considered in addition to the standard classification of transverse and longitudinal fractures. The high proportion of transverse fractures (41%) in this series is thought to represent a more accurate documentation of such fractures. Clinical diagnosis alone will underestimate the proportion of transverse fractures. The presence of associated calvarial fractures is noted and the mechanism of petrous and tympanic fractures is considered. A rationalised approach to the investigation of petrous fractures is described.     

The antiblastogram

The antiblastogram allows the specific determination within a few days of the effect of single and combined chemotherapeutic agents upon the cells of a given tumor, informing about their action, summation, antagonism and synergism. It permits to evaluate the activity of both hydrosoluble and liposoluble products, giving information about the possible activation or inactivation of chemotherapeutic agents by different substances and subcellular fractions.     

The Mini-MAC

Development of self-report measures of coping remains important to thc process of monitoring the mental state of patients suffering from cancer. The present study extended and refined the scope of the Mental Adjustment to Cancer (MAC) scale, a self-report measure designed to give a rapid assessment of coping style. A heterogeneous group of 573 cancer patients completed a questionnaire containing the MAC scale and an additional 26-item research scale. A rigorous factor analysis procedure was used to determine the items that would be retained for a new scale: the Mini-MAC. The scope of the original MAC scale was widened to include items relating to avoidance (an important psychological response), and the original response items were clarified and refined. The Mini-MAC should be a useful tool for obtaining a rapid, reliable, and economical assessment of coping style.     

The facelift

Facelift (rhytidectomy) is an advanced form of cutaneous surgery and therefore a part of dermatologic plastic surgery. The technique has been refined, so that almost uniformly good results can be achieved with few complications, and most of these procedures can be done on an outpatient basis using local anesthesia with sedation. For the advanced dermatologic surgeon, the technique is not difficult to master, and his/her high level of knowledge in the conditions, wound healing, and surgeries of the superficial facial tissues makes this procedure all the more apropos.