Early and late components of error monitoring in violent offenders with psychopathy

BACKGROUND: One of the most recognizable features of psychopathy is the reduced ability to successfully learn and adapt overt behavior. This might be due to deficient processing of error information indicating the need to adapt controlled behavior. METHODS: Event-related potentials (ERPs) and behavioral components of error-monitoring processes were investigated in 16 individuals with psychopathy and in 18 healthy subjects. A letter version of the Eriksen flanker task was used in two conditions. The first condition (normal condition) required participants to press one of two buttons depending on the identity of the target stimulus. The second condition (signaling condition) required them to signal each time they had committed an error by making a second press on a signaling button. Early stages of error monitoring were investigated by using the error-related negativity (ERN/Ne) and post-error slowing as indexes. Later stages were explored by examining the error positivity (Pe) and signaling rates. RESULTS: Both groups showed similar ERN amplitudes and amounts of post-error slowing. The psychopathic group exhibited both reduced Pe amplitudes and diminished error-signaling rates compared with the control group. CONCLUSIONS: Individuals with psychopathy show intact early error processing and automatic behavioral adaptation but have deficits in later stages of error processing and controlled behavioral adaptation. This is an indication that individuals with psychopathy are unable to effectively use error information to change their behavior adequately.     

一例艾灸结合刺络拔罐治疗带状疱疹的护理体会

目的:艾灸结合刺络拔罐治疗一例带状疱疹患者 方法:采用艾灸结合刺络拔罐的中医综合治疗手段进行治疗,并全程追踪其病情进展 结果:患者治疗后神经疼痛程度、伤口愈合情况、睡眠情况等方面较前明显好转 结论:艾灸结合刺络拔罐对治疗带状疱疹疗效明确,可在临床上进行推广     

Bench-to-bedside review: Hyperinsulinaemia/euglycaemia therapy in the management of overdose of calcium-channel blockers

Hyperinsulinaemia/euglycaemia therapy (HIET) consists of the infusion of high-dose regular insulin (usually 0.5 to 1 IU/kg per hour) combined with glucose to maintain euglycaemia. HIET has been proposed as an adjunctive approach in the management of overdose of calcium-channel blockers (CCBs). Indeed, experimental data and clinical experience, although limited, suggest that it could be superior to conventional pharmacological treatments including calcium salts, adrenaline (epinephrine) or glucagon. This paper reviews the patho-physiological principles underlying HIET. Insulin administration seems to allow the switch of the cell metabolism from fatty acids to carbohydrates that is required in stress conditions, especially in the myocardium and vascular smooth muscle, resulting in an improvement in cardiac contractility and restored peripheral resistances. Studies in experimental verapamil poisoning in dogs have shown that HIET significantly improves metabolism, haemodynamics and survival in comparison with conventional therapies. Clinical experience currently consists only of a few isolated cases or short series in which the administration of HIET substantially improved cardiovascular conditions in life-threatening CCB poisonings, allowing the progressive discontinuation of vasoactive agents. While we await further well-designed clinical trials, some rational recommendations are made about the use of HIET in severe CBB overdose. Although the mechanism of action is less well understood in this condition, some experimental data suggesting a potential benefit of HIET in β-adrenergic blocker toxicity are discussed; clinical data are currently lacking.     

补肺健脾益肾方治疗对老年COPD稳定期患者T淋巴细胞亚群、BODE指数及生活质量的影响

目的:评价补肺健脾益肾方治疗老年慢性阻塞性肺疾病(COPD)稳定期的疗效及对患者外周血T淋巴细胞亚群、BODE指数及生活质量的影响.方法:将80例中医辨证为肺脾肾气虚型COPD稳定期患者随机分组,对照组(40例)仅采取常规西医治疗,而观察组(40例)在常规西医治疗的基础上联合补肺健脾益肾汤,治疗8周后比较临床疗效及患者外周血T淋巴细胞亚群、BODE指数及生活质量的变化.结果:经治疗后观察组BODE指数及BMI积分、FEV1积分、MMRC积分、6MWT积分均较对照组明显减少,差异具有统计学意义(P＜0.05);经治疗后观察组CD3+、CD4+及CD4+/CD8+较对照组明显升高,CD8 +水平较对照组明显降低,差异具有统计学意义(P＜0.05);两组经治疗后肺功能指标FEV1和FEV1/FVC均较治疗前有明显改善,差异具有统计学意义(P＜0.05);两组治疗后SGRQ评分均较治疗前明显降低,但观察组治疗后SGRQ评分明显低于对照组,差异具有统计学意义(P＜0.05).结论:补肺健脾益肾方用于老年COPD稳定期治疗可改善患者肺功能及BODE指数,提高生活质量,增强细胞免疫功能.     

Epidemiology of pityriasis versicolor in Adana, Turkey

Pityriasis versicolor is a common superficial mycoses of the skin. It is now recognized that the causative organisms of this infection are different species of Malassezia . The aim of this study was to determine the distribution of Malassezia species in patients with pityriasis versicolor in Adana, Turkey. In total, 97 patients positive for Malassezia elements, namely, yeast cells and short hyphae in microscopic examination, were included in the study. All samples were inoculated in plates containing modified Dixon's medium. However, only 44 of the patients (45.4%) showed Malassezia spp. in culture. Malassezia globosa (47.7%) was the most commonly isolated species followed by Malassezia furfur (36.4%) and Malassezia slooffiae (15.9%). Mixed Malassezia species were not isolated. In conclusion, M. globosa was found to be the predominant PV isolate in Adana, Turkey.     

Hepatic portoenterostomy for biliary atresia. A comparative study of histology and prognosis after surgery

Specimens of excised tissue from the porta hepatis in 26 infants with extrahepatic biliary atresia undergoing hepatic portoenterostomy were analysed histologically for the presence and size of biliary ductules. No correlation could be found between the establishment of effective biliary drainage and the number or size of biliary ductules. it is suggested that prognosis after surgery may be related to the intrahepatic lesion and age of the child at operation rather than to the histology of the extrahepatic bile duct remnants.     

Effect of oral and inhaled salbutamol in infants with bronchiolitis

The response of bronchiolitis to bronchodilator drugs is controversial. The present study was designed to evaluate the efficacy of oral or metered dose inhaler (MDI) salbutamol using a coffee cup as a spacer device in bronchiolitis. In the trial, 31 hospitalized patients between 6 and 24 months of age, who exhibited the first episode of acute bronchiolitis without any other predisposing illness such as cystic fibrosis, congenital heart disease etc., were randomly assigned to receive oral salbutamol (n=11, 0.1 mg/kg per dose, four times a day), or MDI salbutamol (n = 12, 200 μg per dose, every 3 h) or formed the control group without any bronchodilator therapy (n = 8). All of the patients were given supplemental oxygen as needed and adequate hydration was maintained. The patients were evaluated with clinical symptom scores. There were no differences in the beneficial or side effects of salbutamol, or the number of days in hospital between the treatment groups and the control group. It was concluded that there is no beneficial effect in using bronchodilators in infants with bronchiolitis. Supplemental oxygen and maintenance of normal hydration may be adequate.     

Applicability of LDLR flanking microsatellite polymorphisms for prenatal diagnosis of homozygous state for familial hypercholesterolemia

Analysis of newly identified microsatellite polymorphisms flanking the low density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) gene was undertaken in the kindred of a child with apparent homozygous LDLR deficiency. The applicability of these approaches to prenatal diagnosis is considered and compared with previous approaches applying functional studies of the LDLR in amniotic fibroblasts.     

Controlled ovarian hyperstimulation and intrauterine insemination for treating male subfertility: a controlled study

In this randomized crossover trial we investigated whether the use of controlled ovarian hyperstimulation with low-dose human menopausal gonadotrophin in couples with male subfertility leads to a higher probability of conception when intrauterine insemination (IUI) is applied. We also investigated whether the efficacy of IUI in natural or stimulated cycles was related to the severity of male subfertility. Seventy-four couples completed 308 treatment cycles. Thirteen pregnancies occurred after IUI in a natural cycle (pregnancy rate per completed cycle: 8.4%) and 21 after IUI in a stimulated cycle (pregnancy rate per completed cycle: 13.7%). The difference between the two treatment modalities was not statistically significant. The efficacy of IUI in stimulated cycles was related to the severity of the semen defect. In couples with a total motile sperm count < 10 x 10(6), ovarian stimulation did not improve treatment outcome, while it did in couples with a total motile sperm count > or = 10 x 10(6). Compared with the expected chance of conceiving spontaneously without treatment, both natural and stimulated cycles improved the probability of conception. We conclude that, for the group as a whole, ovarian stimulation did not improve the probability of conception. However, in couples with less severe semen defects, ovarian stimulation did improve the probability of conception.