Tight lens syndrome associated with a 24-hour disposable collagen lens: a case report

Tight lens syndrome occurred 8 hours after a 24-hour Bio-Cor bandage collagen lens (Bausch & Lomb, Inc.) was placed on the eye of a 19 year old female patient with a history of Stevens-Johnson syndrome and recurrent corneal abrasions. Because collagen bandage contact lenses share some physical and fitting properties with hydrophilic lenses, they should be used with caution in patients at high risk for a tight lens.     

Can diminished bladder compliance favor spontaneous bladder rupture?

A case of spontaneous rupture of the bladder was observed in a 53-year-old woman. Physical evaluation and diagnostic investigations showed the following findings: initial urinary retention presumed to be psychogenic as the patient had a confusional state and was free of anatomic or neurologic complications; low bladder compliance observed upon urodynamic investigation on the 21st postoperative day and one year later; repeated coughing fits due to chronic bronchitis at the time of the accident. Rupture of the bladder requires the coexistence of an obstacle to urinary outflow and decreased parietal resistance to distension upon filling. According to the Laplace rule, the tension of the bladder wall (T) needed to resist distension is T = KPR, where P is the endovesical pressure and R the bladder sphere radius. Low bladder compliance therefore induces a disproportionate increase in intravesical pressure during filling and may be a significant etiologic parietal factor in the occurrence of spontaneous rupture of the bladder.     

Borderline personality disorder and couple dysfunctions

The central characteristics of borderline personality disorder (BPD) are bound to be associated with the development and maintenance of couple dysfunction. Although seven of the nine diagnostic criteria of BPD in the DSM-IV-TR refer directly to interpersonal functioning, very few empiric studies have addressed the exact nature of the relationship between BPD and couple functioning. This article examines recent studies describing couple outcomes—union formation and durability, partner choice, relationship satisfaction, intimate violence, attachment security, and sexual functioning—associated with BPD. The relationship between couple dynamics (including partner personality characteristics) and BPD symptomatology is probably bidirectional or reciprocal. The review concludes with an exploration of diagnostic and treatment implications.     

STATUTORY REGULATION: SHRINK-WRAPPING PSYCHOTHERAPY

ABSTRACT This paper offers a series of propositions about how power has been deployed in the field of UK psycho-practice and draws conclusions about the value of statutory regulation of psychotherapy. The failure by organizations pursuing statutory regulation to engage with dissent is examined and some of the elements of this dissent are outlined. The coercive nature of the power relations intrinsic to statutory regulation are evaluated with regard to their effects on client welfare.     

Supercritical fluid drying of carbohydrates: selection of suitable excipients and process conditions.

The processibility of 15 carbohydrates, more or less commonly used, was investigated as excipients in supercritical fluid drying. The focus was on the ability to produce amorphous powder, the stability of the powders towards crystallisation, and the residual water and ethanol content. The aqueous solutions were sprayed into a pressurised carbon dioxide-ethanol mixture flowing cocurrently through a coaxial two-fluid nozzle. The powder characteristics appeared to be influenced by the supersaturation level reached during the SCF-drying process and by the properties of the sugar species, such as water solubility and glass transition temperature, or the solution viscosities. The stability and the residual solvent content of a selected set of sugars and some mixtures were further analysed. The stability of amorphous powders was investigated at 4 degrees C, room temperature, 40 and 50 degrees C. Lactose, maltose, trehalose, raffinose, cyclodextrin, low-molecular-weight dextran and inulin could form free-flowing powders that remained amorphous during the 3-month stability study. Sucrose had to be mixed with other sugars to form a stable amorphous powder. Ethanol could be entrapped in supercritical fluid dried low-molecular-weight sugars, whereas polysaccharide powders were free of ethanol. Measures to prevent or overcome the presence of ethanol are discussed.     

Vaccine strategies against Epstein-Barr virus-associated diseases: lessons from studies on cytotoxic T-cell-mediated immune regulation

Summary: Development of a vaccine against Epstein-Barr virus (HBV) is constrained by the latency phenotypes adopted by different EBV-associated diseases. Over the last few years an immense body of information on the pattern of viral gene expression in EBV-associated diseases and the rote of cytotoxic T cells in the control of these diseases has accumulated. It would seem reasonable to suggest that emerging technologies are at a level where vaccine trials aimed at controlling infectious mononucleosis, post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease, nasopharyngeal carcinoma and Hodgkln's disease are justified. On the other hand, a more cautious approach may be required for the development of vaccines or immunotherapeutic strategies against Burkitt's lymphoma.