ANXIETY DISORDERS IN DEMENTIA SUFFERERS

One hundred and fifty-eight consecutive patients attending a university memory clinic were assessed using a variety of standardized instruments. Dementia was diagnosed according to DSM-III-R criteria. One hundred and nine patients had DSM-III-R dementia, of whom 22% had subjective anxiety, 11% experienced autonomic anxiety, 38% experienced tension, 13% experienced situational anxiety and 1.8% had panic attacks. Thirty-two (29.4%) had one or more anxiety symptoms. None of the cognitive or demographic variables were significantly associated with the presence of anxiety symptoms. Three main categories of anxiety symptoms were evident—anxiety related to depression, anxiety related to psychosis and anxiety related to interpersonal situations.     

Characterization of Surfactant Effect on Aggregates in Model Aerosol Propellent Suspensions

A novel technique of rheometry combined with image analysis to study model aerosol suspensions used in inhalation technology has been used. The role of surfactants in the stability and aggregation of such suspensions was also investigated. Addition of increasing concentrations of sorbitan monooleate (Span 80) to suspensions of micronized polar solids in model CFC suspensions caused marked changes in aggregate morphology and suspension stability. The aggregate behaviour was characterized in a modified constant stress rheometer by use of image analysis techniques, allowing the measurement of particle size, elongation and fractal dimension as a function of shear stress. This method was used to study the effect of Span 80 on suspensions of lactose and salbutamol sulphate in P113. Lactose suspensions showed a gradual reduction in aggregate size, and more spherical structure, with increasing surfactant concentration. Salbutamol sulphate suspensions displayed a more prominent transition from an aggregated state to a weakly aggregated state at 0.02% w/w surfactant. Both suspensions were disaggregated by shear, the resulting fractal properties of the aggregates in shear demonstrating the increased particle mobility caused by the surfactant.     

Corpus Callosal Thickness in Alcoholics

The coronal thickness of the corpus callosum in alcoholics and age- and sex-matched controls was measured in a postmortem study. The alcoholics were found to have a significantly (p <0.001) reduced corpus callosal thickness (3.19 mm) when compared to the controls (4.02 mm). This adds weight to the previous pathological finding of reduced white matter volume in alcoholics, which presumably correlates with brain shrinkage seen on CT scans. A significant linear relationship exists between age and the corpus callosal thickness in controls and the white matter volume and corpus callosal thickness in alcoholics.     

骨科教程——全髋关节置换术后疼痛评估

全球每年全髋关节置换术（THA）的手术例数仍在持续不断的增加。毫无疑问，THA是近40年来矫形外科领域中最为成功的手术之一。全美国每年初次THA手术近16．8万，翻修手术达3万余例。     

THE ABNORMALITY OF SWEAT DUCT FUNCTION IN PSORIASIS

SUMMARY.— Following complete cellophane tape stripping of the plaques in psoriasis, the sweat rates were significantly greater than the rates in stripped clinically normal skin between the plaques.
Na⁺, K⁺, urea and lactate concentrations were all considerably reduced in sweat collected from the plaques before stripping. K⁺ and urea concentrations increased after stripping but remained less than the concentrations in the sweat from the clinically normal skin. Lactate concentrations in sweat from the plaques remained low after stripping and the increase in Na⁺ was less than anticipated from the change in sweat rate.
These changes are interpreted as a primary defect in sweat duct function in the plaques involving impaired absorption of water and to a lesser extent Na⁺ from the primary secretion produced by the coil. This results in an apparent increase in sweat rate and reduced solute concentrations after stripping.
It is concluded that there are two major defects in the sweat glands in psoriasis, (i) sweat duct blockage, (ii) impaired ductal absorption, primarily of water, but also of Na⁺. There is also a defect in lactate metabolism in the sweat gland, the nature of which has not yet been defined.     

Consistency of alcohol self-report measures in a male young offender population

The consistency among a number of measures of self-report of alcohol consumption in imprisoned male young offenders was studied by asking 56 young offenders to report, based on a ‘typical week’, how many days they had consumed alcohol, how many days they were drunk and how much alcohol they had consumed. They were asked to rate their confidence in the accuracy of their self-report and to complete the short EPQ-R, which contains a Lie Scale. Results show that self-report in this population is reliable over time and that different indices of alcohol consumption correlate significantly with each other. Young offenders report a moderate degree of confidence in their accuracy of self-report and the mean EPQ-R Lie Scale score is within 1 standard deviation of the norm for a comparable sample.     

The Short Alcohol Dependence Data (SADD) Questionnaire: norms and reliability data for male young offenders

The Short Alcohol Dependence Data (SADD) questionnaire was administered to 100 male young offenders. The mean score was 8.09. Eighty subjects were available between 19 and 40 days later for retest. Of these, 44 were given the original SADD, resulting in a test-retest correlation of 0.87. The remaining 36young offenders were given at retest a version of the SADD reworded to eradicate difficult words and ambiguous items. The test-retest reliability using the reworded SADD was 0.88 and the split-half reliability of the reworded SADD was 0.85. Thus, the SADD is shown to be reliable over time and the reworded SADD is a satisfactory alternative to the orginal SADD with this population.     

Permanent Transvenous Pacing After a Mustard Procedure

We report the case of a 20-year-old man born with transposition of the great vessels who underwent emergency balloon septostomy and subsequently a Mustard procedure. When aged 20 years, he had several syncopal attacks due to sinoatrial disease for which he was simply and successfully paced transvenously in VVI mode.