Assessment of sexual abuse and trauma: Clinical measures

Examined are several measures currently used in the assessment of child abuse, sexual abuse, and trauma. These measures include structured clinical interviews, self report measures, screening inventory, symptom checklist, and some measures that include decision making properties. Issues and implications for clinical practice are explored.     

Bladder leiomyosarcoma following cyclophosphamide therapy for lupus nephritis

We report 2 cases of leiomyosarcoma of the bladder that occurred after long-term cyclophosphamide chemotherapy for lupus nephritis and rheumatoid arthritis. One patient had a tumor at the end of an 11-year course of chemotherapy and 1 approximately 7 years after completing a 7-year course of chemotherapy. Patient 1 underwent left partial cystectomy and patient 2 underwent cystectomy with ileal conduit urinary diversion. In patient 1 the tumor was a typical leiomyosarcoma and patient 2 had a myxoid variant. Both patients were free of disease at 4 months and 3 years, respectively. Whereas previous reports of the carcinogenic effects of cyclophosphamide have been questioned, since the induced tumors occurred in patients being treated for other neoplasms (lymphoproliferative and myeloproliferative disorders), the disease in both of our patients followed cyclophosphamide therapy for nonneoplastic disorders.     

The ileal neobladder: experience and results of more than 100 consecutive cases

The ileal neobladder produces a completely detubularized, low pressure, high capacity reservoir constructed from ileum without any valves. From April 1986 through May 1989, 113 patients underwent this procedure at our institution. Of these patients 99 underwent simultaneous radical cystectomy for bladder cancer and 14 underwent bladder augmentation. The mean postoperative followup was 14.4 months, with a range of 1 to 36 months. There was no perioperative mortality. However, 7 patients died more than 2 months postoperatively: 5 of tumor progression, 1 of pneumonia and severe metabolic acidosis, and 1 of septicemia of unknown cause. Reoperation was necessary in only 13 patients; 10 patients required urethrotomy or dilation of urethral strictures. Day and night continence was preserved in 82.1% of all patients. Stress incontinence, which must be corrected by an artificial sphincter, was found in 4 patients (4.2%) and night-time incontinence that required an external device occurred in 5 (5.3%). Eight patients (8.4%) with mild stress incontinence required no further treatment. Pressure waves exceeding 22 cm. water seldom occurred and then only at maximum capacity. Our experience with this relatively simple system without a nipple is an overwhelming success. The need for reoperation is extraordinarily low and the high reservoir capacity results in continence from the beginning in most patients. The concept is sound and offers a genuine alternative to any form of cutaneous urinary diversion with an incidence of complications not higher than after standard supravesical urinary diversion.     

Human selenium status and glutathione peroxidase activity in north-west England

Nutritional selenium deficiency disease, due to low soil selenium content, is well recognized in British livestock. The adequacy of the selenium status of 25 healthy human volunteers, 50 blood donors, 94 general medical patients and 106 allergy clinic patients was investigated in 1987/8 by measuring serum selenium concentration and platelet glutathione peroxidase activity. Mean serum selenium concentration for the entire study population was 92 micrograms/l. Significant linear correlations between serum selenium concentration and peroxidase activity indicate that a substantial proportion of both healthy volunteers and medical patients are of low selenium nutritional status. Twenty-five per cent of healthy volunteers and 50 per cent of medical patients had serum selenium values below those required for full expression of selenium-dependent enzyme activity. Deficiency of the antioxidant activities of selenium and selenium-dependent enzymes may be relevant to geographical differences in morbidity from a wide range of human disease states.     

Encrustation of intraprostatic stents--a comparative study.

Metallic stents have been used in the management of prostatic disease in patients unfit for surgery. A variety of stents have become available but the optimum design and metal of construction has not yet been defined. This study examined one of the potential complications of stent insertion by demonstrating that they are susceptible to encrustation. Using an in vitro model it compares the ability of the different materials used in their construction to resist this encrustation. Titanium appears less able to resist deposition than the other metals examined. The long-term complication of encrustation may inhibit the use of some of these stents.     

AIDS and tuberculosis

The diagnostic and therapeutic implications of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and tuberculosis in South Africa, where tuberculosis remains a major health problem, are reviewed. Mycobacterium tuberculosis is a high-grade pathogen and is able to establish infection early in immunodeficiency. With HIV infection showing significant entry into the heterosexual population in the RSA, an increasing number of cases with both infections can be expected to occur. The radiological appearance in combined infection is variable, ranging from a formal cavitatory picture to the more common finding of diffuse pulmonary infiltration. Intrathoracic adenopathy is a more specific sign of tuberculosis in HIV infection, since it is not associated with persistent generalised lymphadenopathy and pulmonary opportunistic infections, such as Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia. Intercurrent pneumonic infections and other pulmonary manifestations of HIV disease render the interpretation of new infiltrates on chest radiography problematical. Tuberculin skin testing remains useful in HIV infection and should be performed in all HIV-infected patients. The value of tuberculosis serology still remains questionable. Standard antituberculosis drug regimens are effective, but maintenance treatment must be continued for life and should include isoniazid and rifampicin. BCG vaccination is recommended routinely at birth in infants with HIV infection and for asymptomatic HIV-infected individuals who have not previously been immunised.     

Granulomatous Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in a patient with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.

A patient with an unusual granulomatous response to infection with Pneumocystis carinii is described. The diagnosis was made by open lung biopsy after two negative bronchoalveolar lavages.     

Adequacy of hormone replacement therapy for osteoporosis prevention assessed by serum oestradiol measurement, and the degree of association with menopausal symptoms.

BACKGROUND: Patients on hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for osteoporosis prevention rather than menopausal symptom control may be asymptomatic, despite inadequate replacement and low serum oestradiol (E2) levels. In the primary health care setting, therapeutic monitoring of HRT is not carried out routinely so that patients with serum E2 levels inadequate to protect bone may be missed. AIM: To determine the proportion of women on transdermal E2 preparations with serum E2 levels insufficient to protect bone and to assess the value of a questionnaire-derived menopausal symptom score (MSS) for detecting these patients. METHOD: A cross-sectional analysis of 45 patients aged 35-70 years using transdermal E2 preparations obtained from a computer register of 14500 patients in a suburban practice. One blood sample was obtained from each patient at the time the MSS questionnaire was completed. Serum E2 concentration was measured using a fluoroimmunoassay and compared with the MSS. Levels below 150 pmol/l were considered to be insufficient to protect bone. The diagnostic accuracy of the MSS in screening for levels below 150 pmol/l was determined using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. RESULTS: The median (95% CI) serum E2 was 147 pmol/l (126-198 pmol/l) and levels were below 150 pmol/l in 24 out of 45 patients. There was no difference in the MSS (median, 95% CI) between those with serum E2 < 150 pmol/l (8.5, 5.0-17) and > or = 150 pmol/l (9.0, 5.0-14; P = 0.477). The degree of association between the serum E2 and the MSS, using the Spearman rank correlation coefficient, rs (95% CI) was small and not significant (-0.04, -0.34 to 0.26; P = 0.398). ROC curve analysis revealed an area under the curve (95% CI) of 0.51 (0.33-0.68). CONCLUSIONS: More than half the women were inadequately replaced to protect against osteoporosis. Furthermore, the MSS was of no value in screening for those with low serum E2 levels. Serum E2 levels should be monitored in women on HRT for osteoporosis prevention and the E2 dosage adjusted accordingly.