Microstructure and mechanical properties of AA7039+20%SiC W composite.

Hot deformation tests were performed on an AA7039-matrix composite reinforced with a 20% addition of SiC whiskers. The flow stress maximum was reduced with deformation temperature from 640 MPa to approximately 8 MPa at 293 K and 823 K, respectively. TEM observations, performed on as deformed samples, revealed a highly recovered substructure of the matrix and a striated structure of the whiskers. The fringes, which are perpendicular to the whiskers' longitudinal axis, were ascribed to nano-sized twins and stacking faults formed during the crystal growth rather than to some effects of the deformation process.

[Giardiasis in clinical data]. / Giardióza v materiáloch kliniky.

The authors hospitalized and treated in 1990-1994 at their Clinic 127 patients where giardiasis was the main or secondary diagnosis. They wanted to draw attention to the increasing prevalence of the disease, to clinical manifestations and problems associated with treatment. Clinicians should consider the possible presence of this disease in different gastrointestinal manifestations, chronic hepatitis, hepatopathies as well as in acute IgM anti-HAV, HBsAg and HCV negative hepatitis.

Public opinion on psychotropic drugs: an analysis of the factors influencing acceptance or rejection.

Widespread negative attitudes and irrational beliefs about psychotropic drugs held by the public affect patients' treatment compliance. This study was an attempt to identify factors influencing people's acceptance or rejection of psychotropic drugs. An opinion poll was taken by a representative group of 2,176 adults in Germany. In addition to their attitudes toward psychotropic and cardiac drugs and their ratings of perceived risks and benefits, they were also asked about their drug knowledge, their fear of losing self-control, and their fundamental political values. Our results show that even for the treatment of severe mental disease, psychotropic drugs generally are not well accepted compared to cardiac drugs. Psychotropic drugs are believed to cause significantly more severe side effects and provoke more fear of losing control compared with cardiac drugs. Knowledge about psychotropic drugs and experiences with patients suffering from mental disorders are rather limited. Therefore, other sources of information such as negatively tainted reports in the mass media have a significant impact on opinions about psychotropic drugs. Unexpectedly, negative media reports are even more important for the discrimination of distinct subtypes like "acceptors" and "rejecters" of psychotropic drugs than fundamental value orientation. It is recommended that educational and information measures must be enacted to achieve balanced presentation of psychotropic drugs, their effects, and their side effects in the mass media. Improved communication and linguistic elements used in psychotherapeutic settings should be integrated into biological psychiatry to improve understanding of the concepts of mental diseases and their treatment.

Psychopharmacological drugs as represented in the press: results of systematic analysis of newspapers and popular magazines.

The representation of mental diseases and psychopharmacological drugs in the media, especially in the press, is thought to be of great impact on people's opinions on the subject. During the course of one year, all articles about psychopharmacological drugs and cardiac drugs published in nineteen German newspapers were collected. All statements, together with related aspects, reasons for prescription, individual details of the patient, effects and side-effects, were registered and classified according to a key. The results show that, in contrast to 13% of the articles about cardiac drugs, half of the reports about psychopharmacological drugs deal primarily with the problems of side-effects and dependence the drugs may produce. There was much more critical comment and emotional emphasis used to characterize the psychopharmacological drugs. Only in 9% of articles was their therapeutic efficacy mentioned. Cardiac drugs are generally discussed objectively in a medical context and in 53% efficacy is emphasized. Psychopharmacological drugs are often mentioned in stories about prominent persons having a life crisis, taking drugs, turning to alcoholism, or in the context of social decline. Only in 3% of all articles about psychopharmacological drugs was it possible to identify a serious mental disease as the reason for prescription. The reasons for and implications of these findings, which mainly reflect the negatively biased image of psychopharmacological drugs in women's magazines (while they are treated relatively fairly in general newspapers) are discussed.

[Psychopharmaceutical drugs in the mass media. Results of a systematic analysis of text contents and images]. / Psychopharmaka in den Medien. Ergebnisse einer systematischen Analyse von Textinhalten und Abbildungen.

Mental diseases and psychopharmacological drugs are frequently discussed in newspapers and popular magazines. The representations are supposed to have a great impact on people's opinions on the subject. From 1 August 1991 to 31 July 1992 all articles about psychopharmacological drugs and cardiac drugs in 19 German newspapers were collected. All statements, effects and side effects, the reason for prescription, individual details about the patient and, according to this procedure, subjects and implications of the illustrations, were registered and classified according to a code book. In contrast to the articles about cardiac drugs, half of the psychopharmacological drug reports primarily deal with the problems of side effects the drugs may produce. There was much more critical comment and emotional emphasis used to characterize the psychopharmacological drugs. Only in 9% was their therapeutic efficacy mentioned. Cardiac drugs are generally discussed objectively in a medical context and their efficacy is emphasized. Psychopharmacological drugs are often mentioned in stories about prominent persons having a life crisis, taking drugs, or turning to alcoholism, in the sense of social decline. In only 3% of these articles could a serious mental diseases be identified as the reason for the prescription. Corresponding to the more prominent emotional emphasis of these articles, compared to the articles about cardiac drugs, more pictures, mainly of prominent persons or patients are used. However, the illustration seldom adds to information provided. The reasons for and implications of these findings and the significant differences between the distinct groups of newspapers are discussed.

Two cases of disseminated toxocariasis in compromised hosts successfully treated with mebendazole.

Two cases of disseminated (hepatosplenic, pulmonary and in 1 case also cerebral) toxocariasis in compromised hosts-1 with malignancy (mycosis fungoides) and 1 on chronic corticosteroid treatment due to autoimmune disease--are reported. Besides fungi, also other unusual pathogens (of parasitic origin), especially in cancer, shall be considered.

[Ethico-philosophic and socio-legal aspects of AIDS]. / K niektorým eticko-filozofickým a spolocensko-právnym aspektom AIDS.

The authors analyze ethico-philosophical and socio-legal problems of patients with AIDS in their relation to people they are in frequent contact with, i.e. family, relatives, sexual partners, as well as medical and paramedical staff. They deal with the problem of compulsory notification of the disease on the one hand, and of secrecy compelling for health care workers on the other hand. The potential penojudicial responsibility of subjects infected with AIDS in spreading the infection is being considered, as well as the problem of enforced diagnotic examination and hospitalization. The obligation of the doctor to provide therapeutic and preventive care to each citizen, and thus also to patients with AIDS, is being emphasized.

[Ultrasonography of echinococcosis, toxocariasis and cysticercosis of the liver]. / Ultrasonografia echinokokózy, toxokarózy a cysticerkózy pecene.

The diagnosis of tissue parasitoses has remained complicated until the present time for variability of clinical picture. Their incidence been increasing due to aimed and accidental findings of foci in parenchymal organs employing new methods of visualization such as computer tomography and especially ultrasonography whose advantage is a good detection rate, availability and a possibility to follow the dynamics of parasitosis development. The authors present a survey of ultra-sonographic findings of the liver in cases of tissue parasitoses occurring in Czechoslovakia, while using their own image documentation. If a focal affection in the liver is established the differential diagnosis considerations should also take into account a tissue parasitosis, whose ultrasound picture may be nonspecific.

[Larval toxocariasis--a severe course of the manifest infection]. / Larválna toxokaróza--t'azký priebeh manifestnej nákazy.

The case of a 17 year old patient with severe course of toxocariasis is reported. Over a period of 6 months the patient developed signs of serious systemic condition with fever, respiratory infections, diarrhea, urticaria, weight loss, and muscular atrophies. The most remarkable organ derangements involved bilateral exudative neuroretinitis, severe degree of peripheral motoneuron derangement, and grave kidney damage with developing polyuria, hypokalemia, metabolic alkalosis and therapeutically hardly tractable hypertension. The most important laboratory findings were high erythrocyte sedimentation, absolute and relative eosinophilia, and hypergammaglobulinemia. Serological examination exhibited weak larval toxocariasis positivity. Treatment with Mintezol and subsequent administration of prednisone resulted in complete restoration of the clinical state, including organ and laboratory manifestations. The reported case documents the occurrence of larval toxocariasis in our population as well as the possibility of a very severe course of this parasitic infection in man. The therapeutic effect is remarkable since literary data have so far reported mostly unsatisfactory results of toxocariasis treatment.

[A rare case of human autochthonous dicrocoeliasis in Czechoslovakia]. / Ojedinelý prípad humánnej autochtónnej dikroceliózy v CSSR.

The first case of not imported dicroceliasis in Czechoslovakia is reported in an eleven-year-old boy. The patient suffered from gastrointestinal complaints for about half a year. Diarrhea frequently alternated with constipation, the abdominal pain was mainly in the region of the pancreas. With the exception of eosinophilia (16%), all other laboratory findings (blood count, ELFO, urinalysis) were within normal values. Eggs of Dicrocoelium dendriticum were repeatedly found in stool specimens. The patient was successfully treated with Bithin (4,6-dichlorpentol). Examination of the other members of the family proved negative. At present the patient is without complaints, stool examinations for parasites were repeatedly negative. Contact with sheep or consumption of contaminated liver was not demonstrated. The parasitic infestation may have occurred via an intermediate host, as the patient was keen on collecting different animals, particularly snails.