Suicidal attempts and ideations among adolescents and young adults: the contribution of the father's and mother's care and of parental separation

Summary Parental care was analyzed separately with the PBI for both father and mother or their surrogate to assess its association with suicidal behavior (attempt or serious ideation). The study was conducted on two French-speaking samples from Montreal: the first included 2,327 high school students and the second 701 young adults (18 to 24) reached by phone. Results showed poor care of father to be highly associated with suicidal behavior in the highschool group. Poor care of the mother and parental divorce obtained a lower association. In the second sample, only poor care of the father was significantly associated with suicidal behavior. The conclusion is that more attention should be focused on the father and that parental divorce may have a short-term effect but not a lasting influence when poor care is absent.     

The evoked K-complex: all-or-none phenomenon?

The functional significance and topographical variation of the different components of the evoked K-complex were examined. In the first experiment, the intensity of the stimulus (80 and 60 dB SPL) and its rise-and-fall time (2 and 20 milliseconds) were manipulated during nonrapid eye movement sleep. In the second experiment the tonal frequency (500, 1,000 and 2,000 Hz) of the stimulus was manipulated. In the first experiment, nine stimuli were presented every 10 seconds, whereas in the second, 20 consecutive stimuli were presented. The evoked K-complex consisted of two different negative components peaking at approximately 350 and 550 milliseconds, respectively, and followed by a positive component peaking at approximately 900 milliseconds. K-complexes were easier to elicit for high-intensity fast rise-and-fall time stimuli than for low-intensity slow rise-and-fall time stimuli. The probability of occurrence was not affected by the tonal frequency of the stimulus. When a K-complex was evoked, the amplitude and latency of N350, N550 and P900 remained invariant regardless of its intensity, rise-and-fall or its tonal frequency. The N550-P900 portion of the K-complex therefore appears to be an all-or-none phenomenon. On trials in which a K-complex could not be elicited, N350 was still visible although much attenuated. In these trials, its amplitude was further reduced when stimulus intensity was lowered. N350 might need to reach a certain critical threshold before the much larger N550-P900 complex is elicited.     

Air accidents, pilot experience, and disease-related inflight sudden incapacitation

The epidemiology of sudden death, the etiology of inflight sudden incapacitation, and the influence of pilot age and experience on air accident rates are reviewed in order to determine the aeromedical emphasis needed to minimize accidents. Sudden deaths in men over age 35 are nearly all due to coronary artery disease, whereas in those under 35 years they are mostly due to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. The incidence of fatal accidents from human error is, however, far greater than that from physical illness. Since inexperienced pilots have a 2-3 times increased incidence of mishaps due to pilot error, the estimated risk of disease related in-flight sudden incapacitation should be balanced by consideration of pilot experience. Therefore, it may be preferable to grant waivers to experienced pilots with an increased incidence of disease-related inflight sudden incapacitation than to replace them with novices. We conclude that overly strict medical criteria may paradoxically increase accident rates.     

1%线状透明颤菌面霜在中国女性敏感性皮肤的功效与耐受性评价

目的评价温泉浮游生物纯提取物(pureextractthermalplankton,PETP)即线状透明颤菌(Vitreoscillafiliformis,VF)提取物用于中国女性敏感性皮肤的功效与耐受性。方法经临床检查和乳酸刺激实验筛选出伴有敏感性皮肤的健康女性36例。早晚清洁面部后,均匀涂抹1%VF面霜,每日2次,连续使用3周。分别于实验前后由同一个皮肤科医师观察受试者的皮肤乳酸刺激分数,以及皮肤的临床表现(干燥、红斑、鳞屑、弹性、光滑度)。同时,检测皮肤颜色及皮肤角质层水合度等皮肤生物学参数。结果受试者的乳酸刺激分数显著降低,使用前后差异显著(P<0.0001)。干燥、红斑、鳞屑、光滑度均有不同程度改善。受试者对VF面霜耐受良好。结论伴有敏感性皮肤的中国女性,在皮肤日常护理中,使用含有VF提取物的护肤品有助于改善皮肤的敏感状态和皮肤保健。     

New real-time PCR assay for rapid detection of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus directly from specimens containing a mixture of staphylococci

Molecular methods for the rapid identification of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) are generally based on the detection of an S. aureus-specific gene target and the mecA gene. However, such methods cannot be applied for the direct detection of MRSA from nonsterile specimens such as nasal samples without the previous isolation, capture, or enrichment of MRSA because these samples often contain both coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) and S. aureus, either of which can carry mecA. In this study, we describe a real-time multiplex PCR assay which allows the detection of MRSA directly from clinical specimens containing a mixture of staphylococci in <1 h. Five primers specific to the different staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) right extremity sequences, including three new sequences, were used in combination with a primer and three molecular beacon probes specific to the S. aureus chromosomal orfX gene sequences located to the right of the SCCmec integration site. Of the 1,657 MRSA isolates tested, 1,636 (98.7%) were detected with the PCR assay, whereas 26 of 569 (4.6%) methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) strains were misidentified as MRSA. None of the 62 nonstaphylococcal bacterial species or the 212 methicillin-resistant or 74 methicillin-susceptible CoNS strains (MRCoNS and MSCoNS, respectively) were detected by the assay. The amplification of MRSA was not inhibited in the presence of high copy numbers of MSSA, MRCoNS, or MSCoNS. The analytical sensitivity of the PCR assay, as evaluated with MRSA-negative nasal specimens containing a mixture of MSSA, MRCoNS, and MSCoNS spiked with MRSA, was approximately 25 CFU per nasal sample. This real-time PCR assay represents a rapid and powerful method which can be used for the detection of MRSA directly from specimens containing a mixture of staphylococci.     

Overcoming barriers to teaching the behavioral and social sciences to medical students.

Most U.S. medical schools offer courses in the behavioral and social sciences (BSS), but their implementation is frequently impeded by problems. First, medical students often fail to perceive the relevance of the BSS for clinical practice. Second, the BSS are vaguely defined and the multiplicity of the topics that they include creates confusion about teaching priorities. Third, there is a lack of qualified teachers, because physicians may have received little or no instruction in the BSS, while behavioral and social scientists lack experience in clinical medicine. The authors propose an approach that may be useful in overcoming these problems and in shaping a BSS curriculum according to the institutional values of various medical schools. This approach originates from insights gathered during their attempts to teach various BSS topics at four Israeli medical schools. They suggest that medical faculties (1) adopt an integrative approach to learning the biomedical, behavioral, and social sciences using Engel's "biopsychosocial model" as a link between the BSS and clinical practice, (2) define a hierarchy of learning objectives and assign the highest priority to acquisition of clinically relevant skills, and (3) develop clinical role models through teacher training programs. This approach emphasizes the clinical relevance of the BSS, defines learning priorities, and promotes cooperation between clinical faculty and behavioral scientists.