Intervention paradigms for parents: the application of previewing

Because of increasing signs that the mother-infant dyadic relationship is not always as idyllic as we would like to believe, a number of therapeutic approaches have been developed to explore conflicts within the dyad. These approaches range from a psychoanalytic approach to a behaviorist approach to a family-therapy approach. When considered individually, none of these models comprehensively integrates both the mother's and the infant's objective behavioral manifestations and subjective representations. The concept of previewing, however, provides an integrated vision of the dyad's behaviors and representations. Furthermore, previewing addresses issues posed by imminent development. Principles of previewing were applied to two cases to: (1) demonstrate that the infant's future development would not threaten mother-infant intimacy, and (2) instill in the mother representational skills for coping with the perceived threat of the infant's increasing autonomy. As such, previewing can be used as a technique for preventing and resolving incipient psychopathology.     

Comparison of acid reduction in antiulcer operations

Background: Three acid-reducing operations have recently been described for the laparoscopic treatment of peptic ulcer disease. These consist of a posterior truncal vagotomy combined with either (1) an anterior seromyotomy (SERO), (2) an anterior highly selective vagotomy (AHSV), or (3) a linear stapled lesser curvature excision (STAP). The purpose of this study was to investigate the physiologic effects of these procedures in terms of basal and maximal acid outputs. Methods: Fifty New Zealand rabbits were prospectively randomized into five open laparotomy groups (n= 10): a control group without vagal manipulation (CON), a bilateral truncal vagotomy with pyloromyotomy group (VP), a SERO group, an AHSV group, and a STAP group. All animals underwent placement of a gastrostomy tube for subsequent gastric secretory analysis. On postoperative day 6, basal acid outputs (BAO) and maximal acid outputs (MAO) following IV pentagastrin stimulation (30 μg/kg/h) were measured. Results were compared statistically using the ANOVA method. Results: Pentagastrin stimulation was associated with a significant increase in MAO in the CON group (p < 0.05 vs BAO); however, this response was effectively blunted in all the experimental groups. There were no differences in BAO or MAO between any of the vagotomized groups (SERO, HSV, STAP, VP). Conclusions: We conclude that the three acid-reducing procedures modified for laparoscopy are equally efficacious in reducing gastric acid secretion and that they compare favorably with VP. To our knowledge, this is the first report comparing basal and stimulated gastric acid secretion between these new acid-reducing techniques. Received: 27 March 1996/Accepted: 17 July 1996     

Applying developmental principles to diagnosis and treatment of conflict

Previewing a developmental process derived from caregiver-infant interaction, may offer benefits for adult psychotherapy that are not provided by traditional techniques. The previewing process with infants takes place when the caregiver becomes aware of skills that the infant will soon develop and devises behavioral exercises that introduce the infant to the experience of acquiring those skills.Using previewing with adults helps the therapist assess the patient's representations of future events, circumvents defensive operations by orienting the patient to those events, and provides the patient with strategies for coping with potential conflict. As a technique for caregivers who have problematic relationships with their children, previewing may revive patterns of interaction that promote adaptive development.     

Serum protein profiles to identify head and neck cancer.

PURPOSE: New and more consistent biomarkers of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) are needed to improve early detection of disease and to monitor successful patient management. The purpose of this study was to determine whether a new proteomic technology could correctly identify protein expression profiles for cancer in patient serum samples. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Surface-enhanced laser desorption/ionization-time of flight-mass spectrometry ProteinChip system was used to screen for differentially expressed proteins in serum from 99 patients with HNSCC and 102 normal controls. Protein peak clustering and classification analyses of the surface-enhanced laser desorption/ionization spectral data were performed using the Biomarker Wizard and Biomarker Patterns software (version 3.0), respectively (Ciphergen Biosystems, Fremont, CA). RESULTS: Several proteins, with masses ranging from 2778 to 20800 Da, were differentially expressed between HNSCC and the healthy controls. The serum protein expression profiles were used to develop and train a classification and regression tree algorithm, which reliably achieved a sensitivity of 83.3% and a specificity of 100% in discriminating HNSCC from normal controls. CONCLUSIONS: We propose that this technique has potential for the development of a screening test for the detection of HNSCC.     

Anti-C1q antibodies and systemic lupus erythematosus in the Tunisian population

ObjectivesThe presence of a wide variety of autoantibodies is a characteristic feature of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Although non-specific, anti-complement C1q (anti-C1q) were shown to correlate with the occurrence of active nephritis. The present study aimed to investigate the prevalence of anti-C1q in Tunisian SLE patients and their association with clinical manifestations, especially renal involvement.Patients and methodsIgG anti-C1q antibodies were assessed by Elisa in 98 SLE patients, 55 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and 65 healthy individuals (HI).ResultsAnti-C1q were found in 53 (54.1%) patients with SLE, three (5%) patients with RA and six (9.3%) HI. Among the 65 patients with renal involvement, anti-C1q were present in 35 (53.8%) patients. There was no significant association between anti-C1q and renal or extrarenal manifestations. In addition, there was no correlation between anti-C1q titer and SLEDAI index. Anti-C1q were significantly associated with anti-nucleosome (P = 0.001), anti-Sm (P = 0.01) and a low C4 level (P = 0.046). Concomitant presence of anti-C1q and anti-dsDNA antibodies was not associated with renal manifestations.ConclusionOur study shows that prevalence of anti-C1q was comparable with that previously reported in Caucasian populations. These antibodies were associated with a low C4 level. However, there was no association between anti-C1q and renal involvement or severity of nephritis.     

Developmental previewing: Enhancing the adolescent's predictions of behavioral consequences

The adolescent years are a time of significant biopsychosocial change. Adolescents develop a variety of cognitive skills that enable them to evaluate future consequences, weigh alternatives, and select behaviors. If these cognitive skills have not matured fully, however, the female adolescent may be predisposed to enact risk-taking behaviors, such as becoming pregnant. An intervention technique that encourages adolescents to predict the consequences of their actions may therefore be beneficial. One such technique, labeled previewing, promotes the cognitive skills necessary for averting future unplanned pregnancies and, in the event the adolescent has become a mother, for establishing a more adaptive relationship with the infant.     

全国第七次口腔黏膜病暨第五次口腔中西医结合大会会议纪要

由中华口腔医学会口腔黏膜病专业委员会及中华口腔医学会中西医结合专业委员会主办,首都医科大学口腔医学院承办的全国第七次口腔黏膜病暨第五次口腔中西医结合大会于2008年10月29至31日在北京国际会议中心隆重召开.本次会议共有210人参加,收到来自全国各地的学术论文179篇,其中口腔黏膜病基础研究论文79篇,临床研究论文66篇,中西医结合论文34篇,共有45位代表在大会上进行了学术交流.在学术交流活动中,与会代表就相关的研究进行了热烈讨论,气氛活跃,达到了预期的效果.     

Community-based health workers: building the identity of this hybrid,polyphonic character

This article analyzes the identity-building process for community-based health workers in the context of their role in the Health Family Program team and their interaction with the residents of communities where they work. Based on this analysis we specifically emphasize conflicts of interpretation, power relationships between both sides of identity-building for community-based health workers from three perspectives: that included in the official training of these workers, that produced by workers concerning themselves, and that transmitted by the community. The fact that community-based health workers live the reality of health practices in the neighborhoods where they live and work and are trained with biomedical references makes them actors that convey both the contradictions and the possibility for a deep dialogue between these two forms of knowledge and practice.     

The triad of seizures, hypertension, and neuroblastoma: the first described case

The combination of seizures, hypertensive encephalopathy, and neuroblastoma has not been described before. The authors report one case, which is not only of interest in its own right, but also emphasizes the importance of including blood pressure measurement in the clinical examination of children, especially when hypertension could be the cause of the symptoms.