Les scarifications : le regard de la métamorphose

Scarifications are frequently seen in the passage from adolescence to adulthood. Their nosographic context has expanded to include defensive behavior in reaction to the difficulties of assuming autonomy, or those associated with separation, to an attempt to express acute anxiety in borderline states or in certain cases of psychosis.The transition to adulthood is a particularly exacting period for girls. In a society that places value upon visual appearance, the bodily changes that take place during puberty and the occurrence of the first menstruations are often a traumatic experience, and may temporarily inhibit the acceptance of womanhood. Self-mutilations constitute a corporal limit that may facilitate the adolescent's acceptance of the bodily change towards full femininity.As in the myth of Narcissus, scarifications or superficial cutaneous incisions are a means of providing the possibility of withdrawal into oneself; in an attempt to control underlying tension and anxiety the adolescent voluntarily causes blood to appear and disappear through self-mutilation, so that it is no longer perceived as a menace. Scarifications therefore allow girls an appropriation of the female body, and thus may be a means of their coming to terms with the metamorphosis that is taking place. This hypothesis has been illustrated through a specific case history.     

Hemichorea associated with polycythaemia vera

Abstract Chorea is a rare complication of polycythaemia vera. Polycythaemic chorea occurs predominantly in females and usually in generalised form. We present a 66-year-old woman with acute onset hemichorea-ballism with no vascular pathology in the basal ganglia region. A clear relationship was observed between the onset of chorea and worsening of haematological parameters in the patient. After repeated phlebotomies the patient's clinical status was improved. Polycythaemic chorea must be considered, especially in the elderly, as early diagnosis leads to effective treatment and prevention of complications.     

Semi-empirical systematics of (n,3He) reaction cross-section at 14.6 and 20 MeV.

A new semi-empirical formula for the evaluation of (n,(3)He) reaction cross-sections at the energy of 14.6 and 20 MeV is presented. Formula was derived using the analytical expression for the evaluation of the (3)He spectrum within the frame of pre-equilibrium exciton model. The systematics obtained is compared with the empirical formula for the (n,(3)He) reaction cross-section.     

Tuberculosis trends in Madrid, 1994-2003: impact of immigration and HIV infection.

SETTING: Tuberculosis (TB) cases reported from nine districts of Madrid, where the percentage of immigrant population varied from 1.9% in 1996 to 12.2% in 2003. OBJECTIVE: To describe the trends in TB incidence from 1994 to 2003. DESIGN: Observational study. RESULTS: Between 1994-1995 and 2002-2003, the TB rate decreased from 48.5 (95% CI 45.8-51.1) to 23.3 per 100000 population (95% CI 21.5-25.1) (P < 0.001). The percentage of TB cases co-infected with HIV decreased from 55.9% in 1994 to 14.3% in 2003 (P < 0.001), whereas TB cases in foreigners increased from 2.6% in 1994 to 33.7% in 2003 (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Although the TB rates showed a marked decrease in the study period, the increasing impact of immigration contributed to slowing down the trend.