A double blind trial of sex drive reducing medication in pedophiles

A sample of 100 men accused of sexual assault on a child and referred to a forensic clinic were approached for assessment and treatment in a double blind study of MPA (Provera). A total of 48 men completed assessment and 18 agreed to participate in the drug trial. Only 11 completed a 3-month course of MPA or placebo therapy. Those refusing treatment were less intelligent and less impaired on the Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Test Battery but were more impaired on the Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychological Test Battery. Dropouts differed only in reporting more frequent sexual fantasies of children. Of a possible 27 side effects for MPA, only two were statistically significant. MPA led to more depression and excess salivation than did the placebo, although the frequency of fatigue was noteworthy. MPA appeared as a useful sex drive reducing medication with few side effects but compliance in taking the drug was seen as a major obstacle in its use with pedophiles.     

When pharmacologic anesthesia is precluded: The value of hypnosis as a sole anesthetic agent in dentistry

Occasionally, a dental patient presents his/her dentist with a history of hypersensitivity to local anesthetic agents. The symptoms may include immediate reactions to the injection procedure (dizziness, shortness of breath, tachycardia, etc), or delayed reactions to the anesthetic (swelling, urticaria, etc). Although the true incidence of local anesthetic allergy is low, such a history often involves the patient's anxiety regarding the use of the drug in question, and the dentist's apprehension to treat the "problematic" patient. In such cases, hypnosis can play a major role in controlling pain and the associated distress. In the present article, the method concerning the implementation of hypnosis to induce local anesthesia is described and illustrated through case demonstrations.     

Synthesis and properties of (D)- and (L)-lactide stereocopolymers using the system achiral Schiff's base/aluminium methoxide as initiator

The polymerization of lactides with various D /L enantiomeric compositions using achiral Schiff's base/aluminium methoxide as initiator (SALENAlOCH₃) in dichloromethane solution at 70°C is reported. The conversion was kept below 70% in order to limit transesterification reactions. The polymers obtained after precipitation show a narrow molecular weight distribution (ratio of weight- to number-average molecular weights M _w/M _n = 1,1–1,2) and an optical rotation higher than that expected from the optical purity of the starting monomers. The examination of the thermal properties reveals that whatever their enantiomeric composition all the prepared polymers are crystalline. This unusual behavior is explained by an end-chain propagation mechanism producing stereocopolymers with long enantiomeric sequences, i.e., increased isotacticity as substantiated by an examination of the microstructure of the polymers by means of ¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance. A stereocomplex formation was observed for stereocopolymers with optical purities below 40%.