Alexithymia in Holocaust Survivors with and Without PTSD

Alexithymia was measured in non-treatment seeking, community-dwelling Holocaust survivors using the Toronto Alexithymia Scale—Twenty Item Version (TAS-20). Scores of survivors with (n = 30) and without (n = 26) posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were compared, and associations among alexithymia, severity of trauma, and severity of PTSD symptoms were determined. Survivors with PTSD had significantly higher scores on the TAS-20 compared to survivors without PTSD. TAS-20 scores were significantly associated with severity of PTSD symptoms, but not with severity of trauma. This study adds to our knowledge of the relationship between alexithymia and trauma by demonstrating that this characteristic is related to the presence of posttraumatic symptoms and not simply exposure to trauma.     

Erythrodermic bullous pemphigoid

We report a case of erythrodermic type of bullous pemphigoid which is a rare variant of bullous pemphigoid. Our patient had a peculiar clinical presentation with bullae, erosions and extensive erythrodermic areas, and distinct direct immunofluorescent findings which included linear IgG and C3 deposits in the basement membrane and also IgG in the intercellular spaces. Very high levels of serum IgE were also detected in our patient.     

Increasing the power for detecting impairment in older adults with the Faces subtest from Wechsler Memory Scale-III: an empirical trial.

Empirical studies have questioned the validity of the Faces subtest from the WMS-III for detecting impairment in visual memory, particularly among the elderly. A recent examination of the test norms revealed a significant age related floor effect already emerging on Faces I (immediate recall), implying excessive difficulty in the acquisition phase among unimpaired older adults. The current study compared the concurrent validity of the Faces subtest with an alternative measure between 16 Alzheimer's patients and 16 controls. The alternative measure was designed to facilitate acquisition by reducing the sequence of item presentation. Other changes aimed at increasing the retrieval challenge, decreasing error due to guessing and standardizing the administration. Analyses converged to indicate that the alternative measure provided a considerably greater differentiation than the Faces subtest between Alzheimer's patients and controls. Steps for revising the Faces subtest are discussed.     

MR monitoring of MR-guided radiofrequency thermal ablation of normal liver in an animal model

The purpose of this study was to determine the suitability of MRI to accurately detect radiofrequency (RF) thermoablative lesions created under MR guidance. In vivo RF lesions were created in the livers of six New Zealand White rabbits using a 2-mm-diameter titanium alloy RF electrode with a 20-mm exposed tip and a 50-W RF generator. This was performed using a 0.2T clinical C-arm MR imager for guidance and monitoring. Each animal was sacrificed and gross evaluation was performed. Histologic correlation was performed on the first two animals. The MR-compatible RF electrode was easily identified on rapid gradient-echo images used to guide electrode placement. A single lesion was created in each rabbit liver. Lesions ranged from approximately 10 to 17 mm in diameter (mean, 13.5 mm). T2-weighted and short T1 inversion recovery (STIR) images demonstrated lesions ranging in diameter from 12 to 18 mm (mean, 14.6 mm). Lesion dimensions determined from images closely correlated with those determined at gross examination with the discrepancy never exceeding 2 mm, for an r² value of .87. MRI performed at the time of MR-guided RF ablation accurately demonstrated created lesions. This modality may provide a new option for the treatment of local and regional neoplastic disease.     

Presence of virus-specific DNA sequences in murine type C viruses.

Total nucleic acids prepared from a number of murine retroviruses have been shown to contain virus-specific DNA in addition to genomic RNA. This virus-specific DNA has been shown to be at least partially double stranded and to be present within the virus core particle. The DNA isolated from the virus is greatly enriched in virus-specific DNA relative to that from virus infected cells.     

CD4 responses to conserved HIV-1 T helper epitopes show both negative and positive associations with virus load in chronically infected subjects

Characterization of immune responses to immunodominant CD4 epitopes in HIV-1 that are associated with control of HIV infection could be used to strengthen the efficacy of polyepitope HIV vaccines. We measured both the proliferative and the CD4 interferon (IFN)-gamma and interleukin (IL)-2 cytokine responses specific for 11 previously identified HIV-1 T helper epitopes in 10 HIV-infected non-progressors (LTNPs) (infected for a median of 15 years with a stable CD4 count of >500 cells x 10(6)/l), and seven slow progressors (SPs) (infected for a median of 15 years with a CD4 count that had declined to <500 cells x 10(6)/l). Both groups were antiretroviral treatment-naive at the time of evaluation. The median virus load of SP group was higher than that of the LTNP group (P = 0.0002). The CD4 response to a peptide pool representing all potential CD4 Gag epitopes and to Gag p24 protein was also studied. Compared to SPs, LTNPs had higher numbers of Gag-specific IFN-gamma+IL-2+ CD4s (P = 0.0059). The Gag-specific cytokine and proliferative responses correlated inversely with virus load (P = 0.03 and 0.0002, respectively), highlighting the potential importance of this response in immunity to HIV. A direct correlation was noted between proliferation and the Gag-specific IL-2 (P = 0.0053) rather than IFN-gamma response (P = 0.1336), demonstrating that the proliferation assay reflected the IL-2 rather than the IFN-gamma secreting capacity of CD4 cells. Several subjects with diverse class II DRB1 alleles responded, confirming the 11 selected peptides to be both antigenic and conserved. CD4 cytokine responses to one Gag and two conserved Pol peptides correlated negatively with virus load. The cytokine response to two additional Pol peptides correlated positively with virus load. The data indicate that there is not an absolute correlation between the CD4 immune response to conserved and broadly antigenic helper T cell epitopes in HIV non-progression.     

Evaluation of the SPARK Child Mentoring Program: A Social and Emotional Learning Curriculum for Elementary School Students

Journal of Prevention - Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) programs seek to enhance social and emotional competencies in children, including self-awareness, self-management, social awareness,...     

Healthcare practitioners’ personal and professional values

Personal and professional values of healthcare practitioners influence their clinical decisions. Understanding these values for individuals and across healthcare professions can help improve patient-centred decision-making by individual practitioners and interprofessional teams, respectively. We aimed to identify these values and integrate them into a single framework using Schwartz’s values model. We searched Medline, Embase, PsycINFO, CINAHL and ERIC databases for articles on personal and professional values of healthcare practitioners and students. We extracted values from included papers and synthesized them into a single framework using Schwartz’s values model. We summarised the framework within the context of healthcare practice. We identified 128 values from 50 included articles from doctors, nurses and allied health professionals. A new framework for the identified values established the following broad healthcare practitioner values, corresponding to Schwartz values (in parentheses): authority (power); capability (achievement); pleasure (hedonism); intellectual stimulation (stimulation); critical-thinking (self-direction); equality (universalism); altruism (benevolence); morality (tradition); professionalism (conformity); safety (security) and spirituality (spirituality). The most prominent values identified were altruism, equality and capability. This review identified a comprehensive set of personal and professional values of healthcare practitioners. We integrated these into a single framework derived from Schwartz’s values model. This framework can be used to assess personal and professional values of healthcare practitioners across professional groups, and can help improve practitioners’ awareness of their values so they can negotiate more patient-centred decisions. A common values framework across professional groups can support shared education strategies on values and help improve interprofessional teamwork and decision-making.