Epidural malignant lymphomas of the spine: collected experiences with epidural malignant lymphomas of the spinal canal and their treatment.

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective study of 13 patients treated by the authors. OBJECTIVE: To examine the course of the disease of malignant lymphoma (ML) presenting in the epidural area of the spine. SETTING: Department of Neurosurgery, Third Department of Internal Medicine, Medical and Health Science Center, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The epidural presentation in eight patients was heralded by motor signs (paraparesis and plegia), in one by a lesion of the posterior columns of the spinal cord (ataxia), and in three by pain. One patient was free of complaints and symptoms. The affected epidural area was diagnosed previously by myelography and computerized tomography (CT), and later by magnetic resonance (MR), over the course of which the location was verified as thoracic in eight patients, cervical in one, and lumbar in four. The authors recommended surgical intervention in 9 out of 13 cases, in seven cases of Hodgkin's and six cases of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Seven patients were treated for recognized manifestations of malignant lymphoma while six were diagnosed by intraoperative-histological examination. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The decompression operations for tumors resulted in limited improvement in seven patients (reduction in pain and return of ability to walk). Four patients were not operated on, two of which had significant improvement in their neurological symptoms. Paraparesis remained unchanged in one patient. One patient remained symptom-free. The authors emphasize the importance of interdisciplinary consultation and weighing individual priorities in the indications for operation on epidural ML.

[Application possibilities of dynamic laser light scattering photometry for the examination of poly(ethylene glycol) suppositories]. / Dinamikus lézer fényszórás-fotometria alkalmazási lehetósége a polietilénglikol kúpalapanyagok vizsgálatára.

Status epilepticus is one of the most common neurologic emergencies in children, adolescents, and young adults. The advantage of diazepam suppository in medicinal therapy appears mainly in treatment of childhood epilepsy. A hydrophilic suppository base was investigated in solution by dynamic light scattering and results were compared to those of the membrane diffusion experiments measuring diazepam solubilization. According to the dynamic laser light scattering photometric measurements, the good solubilization effect of the macrogol mixture (5% Polysorbatum 20, 10% Macrogolum 400, 85% Macrogolum 1540) is explained by the formation of small, tight micellas. As the Polysorbatum 20 tenside resulted in the significant decrease (p < 0.05) of the formation of great micellas, its use led to the formation of small, tight, almost monodisperse micellas of 40-50 nm in the aqueous solution of the macrogol mixture.

Sexual molestation of men: interviews with 224 men attending a genitourinary medicine service.

Prevalence studies of sexual molestation in men attending genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinics have concentrated on experiences in adulthood or as a child, or on men who report male sexual partners only. Use of questionnaires in such studies can lead to under-reporting of 'sensitive' events. Our aim is to identify the lifetime prevalence of sexual molestation in men attending a GUM clinic using a self-administered, computerized interview via a cross-sectional survey. Eighteen per cent of respondents reported sexual molestation as an adult and 12% reported child sexual abuse (CSA). Sexual molestation in adulthood was more common in men who reported male sexual partners and in men reporting child sexual abuse. Fourteen per cent of victims reported being infected with a sexually transmitted infection (STI) after adult sexual molestation. In conclusion, a significant proportion of men attending GUM services report sexual molestation. Further research is required into effective ways of addressing this unmet need.

Lifetime prevalence, characteristics, and associated problems of non-consensual sex in men: cross sectional survey.

OBJECTIVE: To identify the lifetime prevalence of non-consensual sexual experiences in men, the relationship between such experiences as a child and as an adult, associated psychological and behavioural problems, and help received. DESIGN: Cross sectional survey. SETTING: England. SUBJECTS: 2474 men (mean age 46 years) attending one of 18 general practices. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Experiences of non-consensual and consensual sex before and after the age of 16 years-that is, as a child and adult respectively-psychological problems experienced for more than 2 weeks at any one time, use of alcohol (CAGE questionnaire), self harm, and help received. RESULTS: 2474 of 3142 men (79%) agreed to participate; 71/2468 (standardised rate 2.89%, 95% confidence interval 2.21% to 3.56%) reported non-consensual sexual experiences as adults, 128/2423 (5.35%, 4.39% to 6.31%) reported non-consensual sexual experiences as children, and 185/2406 (7.66%, 6.54% to 8.77%) reported consensual sexual experiences as children that are illegal under English law. Independent predictors of non-consensual sex as adults were reporting male sexual partners (odds ratio 6.0, 2.6 to 13.5), non-consensual sex in childhood (4.2, 2.1 to 8.6), age (0.98, 0.96 to 0.99), and sex of interviewer (2.0, 1.2 to 3.5). Non-consensual sexual experiences were associated with a greater prevalence of psychological problems, alcohol misuse, and self harm. These sexual experiences were also significant predictors of help received from mental health professionals. CONCLUSION: Almost 3% of men in England report non-consensual sexual experiences as adults. Medical professionals need to be aware of the range of psychological difficulties in men who have had such experiences. They also need to be aware of the relationship between sexual experiences in childhood and adulthood in men.

Victims of violence and the general practitioner.

BACKGROUND: Violent crime is on the increase in Britain, with 17% of the 15 million incidents of crime reported in 1991 being of a violent nature. Although there is some information on the role of accident and emergency departments for victims who sustain physical injury, little is known about the role of the general practitioner (GP) in managing the acute and longer-term sequelae of violence. AIM: To examine the links between experiencing physical of sexual assault and seeking help from GPs in London. METHOD: A cross-sectional survey of all adult attendees in one large group practice was carried out. The main outcome measures were prevalence of assault, reporting to the doctor and other people, and scores on the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) and the Impact of Events scale. RESULTS: Of the 195 people who took part, 33 (17%) reported a physical or sexual assault in the previous year. Women were three times more likely than men to report any type of assault. Women rarely spontaneously disclosed these experiences to the GP and yet the experience of violence was associated with higher levels of distress, as measured on the GHQ and the Impact of Events Scale. CONCLUSIONS: Assault is a relatively common event in the lives of people who consult their GP. Doctors could help these patients through gaining an awareness of the problem and by fostering links with voluntary services, such as victim support schemes, which can provide support, practical assistance, and advice on compensation claims and legal procedures.

Victims and perpetrators of child sexual abuse.

BACKGROUND: This article aims to inform clinicians of current thinking in the area of victims and perpetrators of child sexual abuse. It covers prevalence data as well as identification, effects and interventions with victims, and also characteristics, assessment and treatment of perpetrators. METHOD: The review is based on manual searches and the authors' own clinical experience. RESULTS: All clinicians should be aware of signs and symptoms that raise the possibility that someone has been or is being sexually abused, and also of the possibilities of abuse of boys and of women as abusers. Methods of intervening are discussed, both in relation to victims and perpetrators. The importance of thoroughness when assessing perpetrators is emphasised because of their tendency to deny and/or minimise their offending. The demands of this work are underlined in a section on the necessary qualifications and characteristics of therapists working in this area. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the lack of agreement in definitions and outcome measures used in research there are some positive findings in relation to clinical efficacy. In particular, the need for long-term treatment with those offenders who are more seriously deviant has been supported by recent research. There is a need for continuing attempts to standardise definitions and measures to aid realistic comparison of research results.

Development and validation of high-performance liquid chromatographic method for the determination of folic acid.

A high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method with ultraviolet detection at 278 nm is presented for the determination of folic acid with 5-hydroxyindole-3-acetic acid as internal standard. Chromatographic separation was based on ion-pair HPLC with tetrabutylammonium hydroxide as the ion-pairing compound. The method is sensitive, lower limit of detection was 0.1 ng/ml, the limit of quantitation was 0.25 ng/ml, using a 25-microliter sample volume. The systems precision intra- and interassay CVs for folic acid were 1.4% and 2.5%, respectively.

Drug utilization study during pregnancy.

The history of drug registration in most developed countries has been strongly influenced by the dramatic thalidomide disaster. A systematic hand search identified all women who delivered between September 1st 1993 and June 1st 1994. A total of 2389 mothers were set against the Australian Classification of Drugs with respect to their known or suspected risks in pregnancy. According to the interview after delivery, and from the hospital files, the prescription rate of all drugs increased from 15% in period-1 (two months before pregnancy), to an average of 65.66% during pregnancy. We could divide the groups of drugs used during pregnancy into major and minor groups according to the number of women who ingested drugs in the different trimesters. 1. In the first trimester, women received major amounts of blood-forming drugs, vitamins and electrolytes, hormones, anxiolytics, antibiotics and GI drugs. 2. In the second trimester, women received major amounts of blood-forming drugs, vitamins and electrolytes, anti-infectives, anxiolytics, tocolytics and antihypertensive. 3. In the third trimester, women received major amounts of blood-forming drugs, vitamins and electrolytes, tocolytics, anxiolytics, anti-infectives, antithrombotics and antihypertensive. The drug groups mentioned above have been set according to it's decreasing use respectively.

[Rheologic investigation of electrode gels. III. Study of temporal changes of gel structure]. / Elektródagélek reológiai vizsgálata. III. A gélszerkezet idöbeni változásainak tanulmányozása.

In the publication consisting of 3 parts nine electrode gels have been investigated siú of them are used in hospital pharmacies of this country. Character and stability of gel structure have been studied and controlled by rheological methods. Structural forces have been numerically characterized with maximum and equilibrium viscosity, values of "M and B coefficients" and directional tangents of viscosity curves. Mechanical and thermal stability have been determined, changes for six months storing have been studied by means of all rheological parameters, respectively. Besides investigating rheological parameters electric conductivity values--which are important in respect of practical use of electrode gels--have been determined too. On the basis of results Carbopol "G" designated gel has been found to be the best its use has been proposed not only in supersonic tests but also in ECG.

[Rheologic investigation of electrode gels. II. Mechanical and thermal stability]. / Elektródagélek reológiai vizsgálata. II. A mechanikai és höstabilitás vizsgálata.

In the publication consisting of 3 parts nine electrode gels have been investigated six of them are used in hospital pharmacies of this country. Character and stability of gel structure have been studied and controlled by rheological methods. Structural forces have been numerically characterized with maximum and equilibrium viscosity, values of "M and B coefficients" and directional tangents of viscosity curves. Mechanical and thermal stability have been determined, changes for six months storing have been studied by means of all rheological parameters, respectively. Besides investigating rheological parameters electric conductivity values--which are important in respect of practical use of electrode gels--have been determined too. On the basis of results Carbopol "G" designated gel has been found to be the best its use has been proposed not only in supersonic tests but also in ECG.

The psychological effects of rape.

Most women recover from rape with social support and crisis intervention by helping agencies or their GPs. A minority develop severe and long-term effects which GPs should recognise because they require psychiatric referral.

[Rheologic investigation of electrode gels]. / Elektródagélek reológiai vizsgálata.

Nine electrode gels have been investigated 6 of them are used in hospital pharmacies of this country. The results were compared to properties of two gels from abroad, the recommended electrode gel has been developed on this basis. Character of formed gel structure has been studied by flow curves and structural forces have been numerically characterized by determining the parameters of the function made linear. By determination of electric conductivity the proposed Carbopol gel has been found suitable not only to supersonic tests but also to ECG and may be to EEG.

The effects of sexual assault on men: a survey of 22 victims.

Twenty-two men, who had been forcibly sexually assaulted, participated in a study to determine the circumstances of the attacks and the effects on the victims. The immediate and long-term responses were very similar to those described in female victims of rape.

[Retention behavior of indomethacin preparations in HPLC using various ion-interaction reagents]. / Retentionsverhalten von Indometacinzubereitungen bei der HPLC mit verschiedenen Ionen-Interaktions-Reagentien.

The HPLC retention of indometacin lyophilisates in presence of different cationic and anionic ion-interaction-reagents (IIR) will be investigated. The effect of various factors of influence (pH, organic modifier, buffer concentration) on the capacity factor will be described and discussed.