Paranoia and post-traumatic stress disorder in the months after a physical assault: a longitudinal study examining shared and differential predictors.

BACKGROUND: Being physically assaulted is known to increase the risk of the occurrence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms but it may also skew judgements about the intentions of other people. The objectives of the study were to assess paranoia and PTSD after an assault and to test whether theory-derived cognitive factors predicted the persistence of these problems. METHOD: At 4 weeks after hospital attendance due to an assault, 106 people were assessed on multiple symptom measures (including virtual reality) and cognitive factors from models of paranoia and PTSD. The symptom measures were repeated 3 and 6 months later. RESULTS: Factor analysis indicated that paranoia and PTSD were distinct experiences, though positively correlated. At 4 weeks, 33% of participants met diagnostic criteria for PTSD, falling to 16% at follow-up. Of the group at the first assessment, 80% reported that since the assault they were excessively fearful of other people, which over time fell to 66%. Almost all the cognitive factors (including information-processing style during the trauma, mental defeat, qualities of unwanted memories, self-blame, negative thoughts about self, worry, safety behaviours, anomalous internal experiences and cognitive inflexibility) predicted later paranoia and PTSD, but there was little evidence of differential prediction. CONCLUSIONS: Paranoia after an assault may be common and distinguishable from PTSD but predicted by a strikingly similar range of factors.

[Principles of nutritional support of critically ill premature infants].

The efficacy of the breast milk fortifier Friso versus breastfeeding only was studied in premature very low birthweight babies without congenital malformations. Product tolerability, blood biochemical parameters, physical developmental indices, and the length of respiratory support and intensive care unit (ICU) stay were estimated. Twenty-seven infants at 36 weeks post-conception age were followed up. Fortifier supplementation was found to improve physical development indices (body weight and head and chest circumferences) in the first month of life. Energy feeding output reduced the length of ICU stay and the time of parenteral feeding.

[Dynamics of lipid peroxidation and antioxidant defense in response to dalteparin therapy in acute coronary syndrome]. / Dinamika protsessov prerekisnogo okisleniia lipidov i antioksidantnoi zashchity pod vliianiem terapii dal'teparinom pri ostrom koronarnom sindrome.

The aim of the study was examination of lipid peroxidation (LPO) and antioxidant system (AOS) in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS); evaluation of the effect of dalteparin therapy on LPO and ACS. Fifty one patients (mean age 57.5 +/- 1.5 years) were randomized into two groups: group 1 (n = 31) received low-molecular heparin dalteparin, group 2 (n = 17) was given non-fractionated heparin. The course of the anticoagulant therapy lasted 8 days. LPO and antioxidant defense in plasm and blood red cells were investigated on day 1 and 9. ACS patients appeared to have elevated LPO products production both in plasm and blood red cells, low plasm antioxidant activity (AOA). Dalteparin therapy lowered content of malonic dialdehyde (MD) in red cells and plasm, AOA enhanced. Heparin activity was lower: MDA in plasm decreased in a lesser degree while MDA in red cells continued to rise in lowering AOA in plasm and inhibition of catalase.

[Melanotic neuroectodermal tumor in a newborn]. / Melanoticheskaia neiroéktodermal'naia opukhol' u novorozhdennogo.

The tumor consists of two types of cells: small with abundant processes cells capable of dividing and probably being neuroblasts, and the big melanocytes forming bands and glandular-like structures. Tumor cells (mainly melanocytes) express pancytokeratins, S-100 protein, neuron-specific enolase, synaptophysin and melanin antigen. These data are the additional indication that melanotic neuroectodermal tumor is the derivative of the neural crest.

[The astrocyte glia of the brain in herpetic encephalitis in children]. / Astrotsitarnaia gliia golovnogo mozga pri gerpeticheskom éntsefalite u detei.

Astrocytic changes were followed up in the brain of infants who had died of herpetic encephalitis. Neuro-morphological examinations revealed astrocytic structural changes directed to reinforcement of the blood-brain barrier, localization of the infection and, possibly, to inactivation of the virus.

[Infectious complications of congenital immunodeficient conditions]. / Infektsionnye oslozhneniia vrozhdennykh immunodefitsitnykh sostoianii.

12 autopsy cases of congenital immunodeficiency in children who died from various infectious complications at the age of from 2 months to 4 years 1 month are studied. Infection was in all cases combined (viral-bacterial, sometimes even viral-mycoplasmic-bacterial-mycotic). Morphological changes of the thymus, spleen, tonsilla, lymph nodes and lungs are described.

[The effective method of gene transfer into mammalian cells cultured in vitro]. / Effektivnyi metod perenosa genov v kletki mlekopitaiushchikh, kul'tiviruemye in vitro.

Efficiency of transformation by a number of vectors with the different selective markers of a set of cell lines has been studied for three different methods based on using calcium phosphate, polybrene, or electroporation. Electroporation is shown to be the most efficient one. Using this method with the system rat2k-cells-pAGO vector we have obtained the frequencies of transformation up to 2-3.10(-3). We suggest to use this system as a model for investigation of homologous recombination in the framework of the gene therapy project.

[Activity of pollulan synthesis by diploid culture of Pollularia pollulans on media with different sources of carbon]. / Aktivnost' sinteza pullulana diploidnoi kul'turoi Pullularia pullulans na sredakh s razlichnymi istochnikami ugleroda.

The diploid culture of Pullularia pullulans 1125(4)(13) synthesizes pullulan from different carbon sources. The activity is highest on a mineral medium with melassa (23.18 g/L). Pullulan is accumulated in great effectiveness on a medium with corn flour hydrolysate (48.23% of the carbon source amount).

[Clinico-electrophysiologic, immunologic and biochemical studies of multiple sclerosis patients]. / Kliniko-élektrofiziologicheskie, immunologicheskie i biokhimicheskie issledovaniia bol'nykh rasseiannym sklerozom.

Immunological blood indices, neutral lipid fractions, level of daily urine C21-corticosteroid excretion, free amino acid spectrum of the blood were studied in 72 patients with disseminated sclerosis. The EEG, EMG and REG data were analyzed. Healthy persons of the same age formed the control group. The data obtained may favour more differentiated treatment (in particular, the use of immunodepressants or immunostimulants) according to the disease pattern and stage. The study is important for early diagnosis and estimation of the process acuity and drug efficacy.