[Suicide of young adults: psychiatric and psychosocial comorbidity]. / Le suicide des jeunes adultes. Comorbidité psychiatrique et psychosociale.

This paper is concerned with a specific population of young adults who were admitted to the Patrick Dewaere Center, a crisis unit dedicated to suicidal young adults aged 15 to 35. We analysed data from a group of 885 patients hospitalized from July 1996 to November 2003. The psychiatric and psychosocial comorbidity of these young suicidal adults was outlined from data contained in the "Minimum Psychiatric Summary" (MPS). Several observations were made: There was a high prevalence of adaptation disorders (67.3%) contrasting with a rather low proportion of major depressive disorders. There was also a very high prevalence of personality disorders 80%), particularly, histrionical or borderline personality disorders. Diffuse, atypical somatic complaints, mainly related to sleep and appetite, that often failed to yield a precise medical diagnosis, were most frequent. A close relationship between suicide and psychosocial problems was apparent and attested the importance of the quality of social links. The value of short hospitalization among this generally active population was evidenced.

A nylon membrane enzyme immunoassay for rapid diagnosis of influenza A infection.

A new membrane-enzyme immunofiltration assay (MIFA) was developed for rapid diagnosis of influenza A infection. The pretreated specimens were dispensed into a 1.2 micron Biodyne B nylon membrane-bottomed microplate and vacuum filtration was applied. Blocking solution, peroxidase-conjugated anti-influenza A nucleoprotein monoclonal antibody, washing buffer and substrate were added in that order. The assay was completed within 30 min. Out of 103 nasopharyngeal swabs collected in transport medium, 31 isolates of influenza A virus were obtained and 22 specimens were detected directly by the MIFA technique. The 9 isolation-positive MIFA-negative specimens required 6 days or more for viral detection in cell culture, and probably contained a very low quantity of virus. The 72 cell culture negative specimens were also negative by MIFA. Comparison with a classical immunocapture assay (ICA) gave a better sensitivity for MIFA, as only 15/103 specimens were positive by ICA. MIFA is a rapid test with 71% sensitivity and 100% specificity. It was also very useful to test the cell culture supernatants, as a sensitivity of 100% was obtained with MIFA when the immunofluorescence technique was positive. The same technique could be readily carried out on the same plate for other respiratory viruses since capture antibody is not used.