ABSTRACT
Study of depression in North-Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa has shown that, since the seventies, the clinical expression of depression is markedly different from that of depression in the West. Several authors have noted the rareness of guilt themes and the frequency of persecution themes and somatic complaints in depressed Africans, even those living in the West. More recent studies have shown an evolution in depressive symptoms in North-Africa with an increase in guilt and a decrease in persecution and somatic complaints. This shift in symptoms brings the expression of depression closer to that observed in the West. Our study addresses delusional depression: in 73 cases of delusional depression, delusions of guilt were present in 31% of cases, persecution in 48% and hallucinations in 31.5%. A comparison of the sub-groups consulting in 1991 and a second sub-group consulting in 1998 shows a marked increase in guilt (23.5 versus 39%).
Subject(s)
Culture , Delirium/ethnology , Delirium/etiology , Depression/ethnology , Depression/psychology , Hallucinations/ethnology , Hallucinations/etiology , Adult , Delirium/diagnosis , Depression/diagnosis , Female , Hallucinations/diagnosis , Humans , Male , Psychiatric Status Rating Scales , Retrospective Studies , Tunisia/epidemiologyABSTRACT
In recent years research on the neuronal substrate for mental disorders has considerably developed thanks to new brain imaging methods. Functional brain imaging has attracted several workers in their investigations of psychiatric diseases. Some authors have addressed the position of imaging in the diagnosis and, above all, prognosis of acute psychotic disorders. In the following paper, the authors review the published results. Both structural and functional imaging confirm the hypothesis of a neurophysiological contribution to acute psychotic disorders, as shown by ventricular dilatation and functional abnormalities. Nonetheless, imaging does not seem to have a precise and absolute diagnostic and prognostic value, although of undeniable heuristic interest.
Subject(s)
Brain , Psychotic Disorders/psychology , Acute Disease , Brain/diagnostic imaging , Brain/metabolism , Brain/pathology , Humans , Magnetic Resonance Imaging , Psychotic Disorders/diagnosis , Tomography, Emission-Computed , Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-PhotonABSTRACT
The demolition-reconstruction sequence in patients suffering from breast cancer may, in selected cases, be reduced to two surgical steps alone without compromising the radical nature of the surgery or the aesthetic result. The technical details of a protocol realisable in a short time that proposes on the one hand classical radical mastectomy (according to Patey or Madden) and on the other reconstruction by tissue expansion are described.
Subject(s)
Breast/surgery , Mastectomy, Radical/methods , Surgery, Plastic/methods , Tissue Expansion , Female , Humans , Nipples/surgeryABSTRACT
In a series of 20 lipolysis procedures, there have been no serious major and few minor complications. Selection of patients is important and the best results can be acquired in the patients under 35 years of age. The postoperative circulation and diuresis control are very important particularly during the first 24 hours.
