Influence of individual differences in craving and obsessive cocaine thoughts on attentional processes in cocaine abuse patients

In the present pilot-study, the relation between craving, obsessive thoughts about cocaine, experienced control, and attentional bias for cocaine related words is investigated. Sixteen cocaine abuse patients participated in a reaction time (RT) experiment which was employed to measure the ability of subjects to shift their attention away from cocaine related words. Postexperiment craving was found to be positively correlated with reaction times on drug related cues, in contrast to RT on neutral cues. Furthermore, obsessive thoughts about cocaine use and the experienced cocaine use control, in the week before the experiment, were correlated in a higher degree with RTs on drug cues than postexperiment craving. Attentional bias for drug cues was evidenced in patients with higher scores on obsessive cocaine thoughts and higher craving scores. This study shows that individual differences on information processing, within a cocaine abuse patient population, are present.     

Is caring the ethical ideal?

This paper will examine the claim that caring is an appropriate ethical ideal for nursing. Initially it will examine nursing's philosophy of care and caring, highlighting some areas of difficulty and dissatisfaction articulated by many of its contemporary theorists Evaluation of the notion of caring as an appropriate ethical ideal for nursing will be balanced against those in opposition, and in this process their critique will be discussed This discussion will focus on areas such as virtue, virtue ethics, moral responsibility, feminine values, mothering and the debate between male and female caring Different forms of caring will be evaluated and balanced against different forms of nursing The paper will then suggest that current views which hold aloft nursing as a bedmate of caring may be detrimental to both the cared-for and the carer, advocating in the process a move toward change     

Centrifugal analysis with automated sequential reagent addition: measurement of serum calcium

We describe an automated method for calcium assay, for use with the Cobas-Bio centrifugal analyzer. Calcium is reacted with cresolphthalein complexone and the absorbance of the calcium--dye complex at 575 nm is measured. EDTA is then added to break up the calcium--dye complex and the absorbance at 575 nm is re-measured, to correct for endogenous color and turbidity. Day-to-day precision data, determined over four months, were as follows: mean = 92.9 mg/L, CV = 1.47%; n = 216; mean = 128.7 mg/L, CV = 1.72%; n = 216. Comparison of the Cobas-Bio method (y) with an atomic absorption spectrometric method (x) gave the following results: y = 1.012x--2.05, r = 0.991, Sy/x = 1.2, mean x = 92.63 mg/L, mean y = 91.69 mg/L, n = 74. Hemoglobin, bilirubin, or turbidity does not interfere. At the medical decision value (110 mg/L), the overall analytical error is 4.6 mg/L, which is less than the 5 mg/L allowable (95% confidence limit) error.     

Lowered oxygen consumption and heart rate as early symptoms of the obese-hyperglycemic syndrome in mice (ob/ob)

Latent obese-hyperglycemic mice exhibit significantly subnormal heart rate and level of oxygen consumption as early as three and eight days post-partum, respectively. Also, loss of body weight during a three-hour fasting period is detectably less extreme in obese than in normal litter mates as early as five days post-partum. Regression analysis of the differences between the latent obese and normal litter mates suggests that these symptoms begin developing at birth.     

Mice selected for rearing behavior: Some physiological variables

Rearing behavior, locomotor activity, body temperature, and adrenal activity were recorded in male mice from two inbred strains and from two lines selected for rearing frequency. Significant positive correlations between rearing and locomotion indicated that loci responsible for rearing performance may act through a system which regulates the level of arousal. Although strain and line differences were found for behavior, temperature, and adrenal activity, no specific genetic relationship could be established between the behavioral and the physiological variables.     

The foreskin and squamous-cell carcinoma of the penis

The incidence of penile cancer is low in men who have been circumcised at infancy. It is unknown whether a causative relationship exists between circumcision and the substantially reduced incidence of penile cancer. A normal foreskin has no known aetiological role in the development of penile cancer. A narrow, non-retractable foreskin predisposes the patient to infection and contributes to the development of penile cancer, together with the known risk factors of smoking and human papillomavirus infection. Circumcision represents a complex of social and behavioural factors. Analyses have not taken all of these factors into consideration. It is unlikely that circumcision itself protects against the development of penile cancer.     

Dynamic sentinel node biopsy in penile carcinoma: evaluation of 10 years experience

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the results of 10 years dynamic sentinel node biopsy experience in penile carcinoma at our institute. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 140 patients with clinically node-negative groins were prospectively included. Lymphoscintigraphy was performed after injection of 99mTechnetium-nanocolloid around the primary tumour. The sentinel node was intraoperatively identified with the aid of patent blue dye and a gamma ray detection probe. Lymph node dissection was performed only if sentinel node metastasis was found. Median follow-up was 52 months (range 5-129). RESULTS: Lymphoscintigraphy visualized at least 1 sentinel node in 138 patients. Sentinel node metastasis was found in 37 inguinal regions of 31 patients. The sentinel node was the only tumour-positive node in 78% (29/37) of the dissection specimens. Complications occurred in 8% (17/206) of the operated groins. False-negative results were encountered in 6 patients resulting in a false-negative rate of 16% (6/37 patients). 5-year disease-specific survival was 96% and 66% for patients with a tumour-negative sentinel node and tumour-positive sentinel node, respectively (p=0.001). CONCLUSION: Dynamic sentinel node biopsy in penile carcinoma is of important diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic value at the cost of only minor morbidity.     

Patients with penile carcinoma benefit from immediate resection of clinically occult lymph node metastases

PURPOSE: In this retrospective study we compared the clinical outcome of early vs delayed excision of lymph node metastases in patients with penile squamous cell carcinoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 40 patients with a T2-3 penile carcinoma with lymph node metastases were included in this study. All patients initially presented with bilateral impalpable lymph nodes. In 20 patients (50%) metastases were removed when they became clinically apparent during meticulous followup (median interval 6 months, range 1 to 24). There were 20 patients (50%) who underwent resection of inguinal metastases detected on dynamic sentinel node biopsy before they became palpable. The histopathological characteristics of the tumors and lymph nodes were reevaluated. RESULTS: The 2 populations were similar in terms of patient age, T-stage, pathological tumor grade, vascular invasion and infiltration depth. Disease specific 3-year survival of patients with positive lymph nodes detected during surveillance was 35% and in those who underwent early resection, 84% (log rank p = 0.0017). In multivariate analysis early resection of occult inguinal metastases detected on dynamic sentinel node biopsy was an independent prognostic factor for disease specific survival (p = 0.006). CONCLUSIONS: Early resection of lymph node metastases in patients with penile carcinoma improves survival.     

Ultrasonography-guided fine-needle aspiration cytology before sentinel node biopsy in patients with penile carcinoma

OBJECTIVE: To assess the accuracy of ultrasonography (US)-guided fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) for detecting occult lymph node metastases in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the penis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Forty-three patients with 83 clinically node-negative inguinal regions were assessed with US and FNAC. The results were compared with histology from subsequent dynamic sentinel-node biopsy (DSNB) or inguinal lymph node dissection. RESULTS: Thirty-four groins in 27 patients were considered to be suspicious by US and the lymph nodes were aspirated. Nine nodes contained tumour cells and this was confirmed by subsequent lymph node dissection. The sensitivity and specificity of US-guided FNAC were 39% (nine of 23) and 100% (60 of 60), respectively. The number of groins requiring DSNB was reduced by 11% (nine of 83). CONCLUSION: US-guided FNAC can be used as the initial investigation in clinically node-negative groins. If tumour is confirmed then therapeutic inguinal lymph node dissection can be earlier and fewer DSNBs are required.