bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Visuo-auditory interactions in the primary visual cortex of the behaving monkey: Electrophysiological evidence
Authors: Wang Ye , Celebrini Simona , Trotter Yves , Barone Pascal
Published: August 2008

Background

Visual, tactile and auditory information is processed from the periphery to the cortical level through separate channels that target primary sensory cortices, from which it is further distributed to functionally specialized areas. Multisensory integration is classically assigned to higher hierarchical cortical areas, but there is growing electrophysiological evidence in man and monkey of multimodal interactions in areas thought to be unimodal, interactions that can occur at very short latencies. Such fast timing of multisensory interactions rules out the possibility of an origin in the polymodal areas mediated through back projections, but is rather in favor of heteromodal connections such as the direct projections observed in the monkey, from auditory areas (including the primary auditory cortex AI) directly to the primary visual cortex V1. Based on the existence of such AI to V1 projections, we looked for modulation of neuronal visual responses in V1 by an auditory stimulus in the awake behaving monkey.

Results

Behavioral or electrophysiological data were obtained from two behaving monkeys. One monkey was trained to maintain a passive central fixation while a peripheral visual (V) or visuo-auditory (AV) stimulus was presented. From a population of 45 V1 neurons, there was no difference in the mean latencies or strength of visual responses when comparing V and AV conditions. In a second active task, the monkey was required to orient his gaze toward the visual or visuo-auditory stimulus. From a population of 49 cells recorded during this saccadic task, we observed a significant reduction in response latencies in the visuo-auditory condition compared to the visual condition (mean 61.0 vs. 64.5 ms) only when the visual stimulus was at midlevel contrast. No effect was observed at high contrast.

Conclusion

Our data show that single neurons from a primary sensory cortex such as V1 can integrate sensory information of a different modality, a result that argues against a strict hierarchical model of multisensory integration. Multisensory interaction in V1 is, in our experiment, expressed by a significant reduction in visual response latencies specifically in suboptimal conditions and depending on the task demand. This suggests that neuronal mechanisms of multisensory integration are specific and adapted to the perceptual features of behavior.
In vitro tooth whitening effect of two medicated chewing gums compared to a whitening gum and saliva
Authors: Moore Michael , Hasler-Nguyen Nathalie , Saroea Geoffrey
Published: August 2008

Background

Extrinsic staining of teeth may result from the deposition of a variety of pigments into or onto the tooth surface, which originate mainly from diet or from tobacco use. More recently, clinical studies have demonstrated the efficacy of some chewing gums in removing extrinsic tooth staining. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of two nicotine medicated chewing gums (A and B) on stain removal in anin vitroexperiment, when compared with a confectionary whitening chewing gum (C) and human saliva (D).

Methods

Bovine incisors were stained by alternating air exposure and immersion in a broth containing natural pigments such as coffee, tea and oral microorganisms for 10 days. Stained enamel samples were exposed to saliva alone or to the test chewing gums under conditions simulating human mastication. The coloration change of the enamel samples was measured using a spectrophotometer. Measurements were obtained for each specimen (average of three absorbances) using the L*a*b scale: lightness (L*), red-green (a) and yellow-blue (b).

Results

Medicated chewing gums (A and B) removed a greater amount of visible extrinsic stain, while the confectionary chewing gum with a whitening claim (C) had a milder whitening effect as evaluated by quantitative and qualitative assessment.

Conclusion

The tested Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) chewing gums were more effective in the removal of the extrinsic tooth stain. This visible improvement in tooth whitening appearance could strengthen the smokers' motivation to quit smoking.
Delayed administration of a matrix metalloproteinase inhibitor limits progressive brain injury after hypoxia-ischemia in the neonatal rat
Authors: Leonardo Christopher C , Eakin Autumn K , Ajmo Joanne M , Collier Lisa A , Pennypacker Keith R , Strongin Alex Y , Gottschall Paul E
Published: August 2008

Background

Hypoxia-ischemia (H-I) can produce widespread neurodegeneration and deep cerebral white matter injury in the neonate. Resident microglia and invading leukocytes promote lesion progression by releasing reactive oxygen species, proteases and other pro-inflammatory mediators. After injury, expression of the gelatin-degrading matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), MMP-2 and MMP-9, are thought to result in the proteolysis of extracellular matrix (ECM), activation of cytokines/chemokines, and the loss of vascular integrity. Thus, therapies targeting ECM degradation and progressive neuroinflammation may be beneficial in reducing H-I – induced neuropathy. Minocycline has MMP-inhibitory properties and is both anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective. AG3340 (prinomastat) is an MMP inhibitor with high selectivity for the gelatinases. The purpose of this study was to determine whether these compounds could limit H-I – induced injury when administered at a delayed time point.

Methods

Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to H-I at postnatal day 7 (P7), consisting of unilateral carotid artery ligation followed by 90 min exposure to 8% O2. Minocycline, AG3340, or vehicle were administered once daily for 6 days, beginning 24 hours after insult. Animals were sacrificed at P14 for neurohistological assessments. Immunohistochemistry was performed to determine the degree of reactive astrogliosis and immune cell activation/recruitment. Neural injury was detected using the Fluoro-Jade stain, a marker that identifies degenerating cells.

Results

CD11b and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) immunopositive cells increased in ipsilateral cortex after treatment with vehicle alone, demonstrating microglia/macrophage recruitment and reactive astrogliosis, respectively. Fluoro-Jade staining was markedly increased throughout the fronto-parietal cortex, striatum and hippocampus. Treatment with minocycline or AG3340 inhibited microglia/macrophage recruitment, attenuated astrogliosis and reduced Fluoro-Jade staining when compared to vehicle alone.

Conclusion

The selective gelatinase inhibitor AG3340 showed equal efficacy in reducing neural injury and dampening neuroinflammation when compared to the anti-inflammatory compound minocycline. Thus, MMP-2 and MMP-9 may be viable therapeutic targets to treat neonatal brain injury.
Ethical challenges with the left ventricular assist device as a destination therapy
Authors: Rizzieri Aaron G , Verheijde Joseph L , Rady Mohamed Y , McGregor Joan L
Published: August 2008

The left ventricular assist device was originally designed to be surgically implanted as a bridge to transplantation for patients with chronic end-stage heart failure. On the basis of the REMATCH trial, the US Food and Drug Administration and the US Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services approved permanent implantation of the left ventricular assist device as a destination therapy in Medicare beneficiaries who are not candidates for heart transplantation. The use of the left ventricular assist device as a destination therapy raises certain ethical challenges. Left ventricular assist devices can prolong the survival of average recipients compared with optimal medical management of chronic end-stage heart failure. However, the overall quality of life can be adversely affected in some recipients because of serious infections, neurologic complications, and device malfunction. Left ventricular assist devices alter end-of-life trajectories. The caregivers of recipients may experience significant burden (e.g., poor physical health, depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder) from destination therapy with left ventricular assist devices. There are also social and financial ramifications for recipients and their families. We advocate early utilization of a palliative care approach and outline prerequisite conditions so that consenting for the use of a left ventricular assist device as a destination therapy is a well informed process. These conditions include: (1) direct participation of a multidisciplinary care team, including palliative care specialists, (2) a concise plan of care for anticipated device-related complications, (3) careful surveillance and counseling for caregiver burden, (4) advance-care planning for anticipated end-of-life trajectories and timing of device deactivation, and (5) a plan to address the long-term financial burden on patients, families, and caregivers.

Short-term mechanical circulatory devices (e.g. percutaneous cardiopulmonary bypass, percutaneous ventricular assist devices, etc.) can be initiated in emergency situations as a bridge to permanent implantation of ventricular assist devices in chronic end-stage heart failure. In the absence of first-person (patient) consent, presumed consent or surrogate consent should be used cautiously for the initiation of short-term mechanical circulatory devices in emergency situations as a bridge to permanent implantation of left ventricular assist devices. Future clinical studies of destination therapy with left ventricular assist devices should include measures of recipients' quality of end-of-life care and caregivers' burden.
Constructing disease-specific gene networks using pair-wise relevance metric: Application to colon cancer identifies interleukin 8, desmin and enolase 1 as the central elements
Authors: Jiang Wei , Li Xia , Rao Shaoqi , Wang Lihong , Du Lei , Li Chuanxing , Wu Chao , Wang Hongzhi , Wang Yadong , Yang Baofeng
Published: August 2008

Background

With the advance of large-scale omics technologies, it is now feasible to reversely engineer the underlying genetic networks that describe the complex interplays of molecular elements that lead to complex diseases. Current networking approaches are mainly focusing on building genetic networks at large without probing the interaction mechanisms specific to a physiological or disease condition. The aim of this study was thus to develop such a novel networking approach based on the relevance concept, which is ideal to reveal integrative effects of multiple genes in the underlying genetic circuit for complex diseases.

Results

The approach started with identification of multiple disease pathways, called a gene forest, in which the genes extracted from the decision forest constructed by supervised learning of the genome-wide transcriptional profiles for patients and normal samples. Based on the newly identified disease mechanisms, a novel pair-wise relevance metric, adjusted frequency value, was used to define the degree of genetic relationship between two molecular determinants. We applied the proposed method to analyze a publicly available microarray dataset for colon cancer. The results demonstrated that the colon cancer-specific gene network captured the most important genetic interactions in several cellular processes, such as proliferation, apoptosis, differentiation, mitogenesis and immunity, which are known to be pivotal for tumourigenesis. Further analysis of the topological architecture of the network identified three known hub cancer genes [interleukin 8 (IL8) (p ≈ 0), desmin (DES) (p = 2.71 × 10-6) and enolase 1 (ENO1) (p = 4.19 × 10-5)], while two novel hub genes [RNA binding motif protein 9 (RBM9) (p = 1.50 × 10-4) and ribosomal protein L30 (RPL30) (p = 1.50 × 10-4)] may define new central elements in the gene network specific to colon cancer. Gene Ontology (GO) based analysis of the colon cancer-specific gene network and the sub-network that consisted of three-way gene interactions suggested that tumourigenesis in colon cancer resulted from dysfunction in protein biosynthesis and categories associated with ribonucleoprotein complex which are well supported by multiple lines of experimental evidence.

Conclusion

This study demonstrated that IL8, DES and ENO1 act as the central elements in colon cancer susceptibility, and protein biosynthesis and the ribosome-associated function categories largely account for the colon cancer tumuorigenesis. Thus, the newly developed relevancy-based networking approach offers a powerful means to reverse-engineer the disease-specific network, a promising tool for systematic dissection of complex diseases.
Pilot-scale conversion of lime-treated wheat straw into bioethanol: quality assessment of bioethanol and valorization of side streams by anaerobic digestion and combustion
Authors: Maas Ronald HW , Bakker Robert R , Boersma Arjen R , Bisschops Iemke , Pels Jan R , de Jong Ed , Weusthuis Ruud A , Reith Hans
Published: August 2008

Introduction

The limited availability of fossil fuel sources, worldwide rising energy demands and anticipated climate changes attributed to an increase of greenhouse gasses are important driving forces for finding alternative energy sources. One approach to meeting the increasing energy demands and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions is by large-scale substitution of petrochemically derived transport fuels by the use of carbon dioxide-neutral biofuels, such as ethanol derived from lignocellulosic material.

Results

This paper describes an integrated pilot-scale process where lime-treated wheat straw with a high dry-matter content (around 35% by weight) is converted to ethanol via simultaneous saccharification and fermentation by commercial hydrolytic enzymes and bakers' yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae). After 53 hours of incubation, an ethanol concentration of 21.4 g/liter was detected, corresponding to a 48% glucan-to-ethanol conversion of the theoretical maximum. The xylan fraction remained mostly in the soluble oligomeric form (52%) in the fermentation broth, probably due to the inability of this yeast to convert pentoses. A preliminary assessment of the distilled ethanol quality showed that it meets transportation ethanol fuel specifications. The distillation residue, which contained non-hydrolysable and non-fermentable (in)organic compounds, was divided into a liquid and solid fraction. The liquid fraction served as substrate for the production of biogas (methane), whereas the solid fraction functioned as fuel for thermal conversion (combustion), yielding thermal energy, which can be used for heat and power generation.

Conclusion

Based on the achieved experimental values, 16.7 kg of pretreated wheat straw could be converted to 1.7 kg of ethanol, 1.1 kg of methane, 4.1 kg of carbon dioxide, around 3.4 kg of compost and 6.6 kg of lignin-rich residue. The higher heating value of the lignin-rich residue was 13.4 MJ thermal energy per kilogram (dry basis).
siRNA directed against c-Myc inhibits proliferation and downregulates human telomerase reverse transcriptase in human colon cancer Colo 320 cells
Authors: Hao Huang , Nancai Yu , Lei Fu , Xiong Wei , Wen Su , Guofu Huang , yanxia Wu , Hanju Huang , Qian Liu , Hong Xiao
Published: August 2008

The c-Myc and human telomerase reverse transcriptase gene (hTERT) gene are frequently deregulated and overexpressed in malignancy. hTERT activity is induced by c-Myc and strategies designed to inhibit c-Myc expression in cancer cells may have considerable therapeutic value. We designed and used a short hairpin RNA to inhibit c-Myc expression in Colo 320 cells and validated its effect on cell proliferation. In this study, four c-Myc-shRNA expression vectors were constructed and introduced into Colo 320 cells. The effects of c-Myc silencing on tumor cell growth was assessed by soft agar assay and DNA synthesis experiments. The expressions of c-Myc and hTERT were also assessed by real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and Western blot analysis. Upon transient transfection with plasmid encoding shRNA, it was found that expression of c-Myc and hTERT decreased in shRNA-transfected cells. The downregulation of c-Myc and hTERT inhibited cell growth, shortened telomere lengths, and suppressed telomerase activity. In conclusion, our findings demonstrate that shRNA of c-Myc can inhibit the DNA replication in Colo 320 cells effectively and reduce telomere length and telomerase activity, therefore, it could be used as a new potential anticancer tool for therapy of human colon cancer.
Plantar calcaneal spurs in older people: longitudinal traction or vertical compression?
Authors: Menz Hylton B , Zammit Gerard V , Landorf Karl B , Munteanu Shannon E
Published: August 2008

Background

Plantar calcaneal spurs are common, however their pathophysiology is poorly understood. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence and correlates of plantar calcaneal spurs in a large sample of older people.

Methods

Weightbearing lateral foot radiographs of 216 people (140 women and 76 men) aged 62 to 94 years (mean age 75.9, SD 6.6) were examined for plantar calcaneal and Achilles tendon spurs. Associations between the presence of spurs and sex, body mass index, radiographic measures of foot posture, self‐reported co‐morbidities and current or previous heel pain were then explored.

Results

Of the 216 participants, 119 (55%) had at least one plantar calcaneal spur and 103 (48%) had at least one Achilles tendon spur. Those with plantar calcaneal spurs were more likely to have Achilles tendon spurs (odds ratio [OR] = 2.0, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.2 to 3.5). Prevalence of spurs did not differ according to sex. Participants with plantar calcaneal spurs were more likely to be obese (OR = 7.9, 95% CI 3.6 to 17.0), report osteoarthritis (OR = 2.6, 95% CI 1.6 to 4.8) and have current or previous heel pain (OR = 4.6, 95% CI 2.3 to 9.4). No relationship was found between the presence of calcaneal spurs and radiographic measures of foot posture.

Conclusion

Calcaneal spurs are common in older men and women and are related to obesity, osteoarthritis and current or previous heel pain, but are unrelated to radiographic measurements of foot posture. These findings support the theory that plantar calcaneal spurs may be an adaptive response to vertical compression of the heel rather than longitudinal traction at the calcaneal enthesis.
Anejaculation as an atypical presentation of prostate cancer: a case report
Authors: Mufti Uwais , Ghani Khurshid R , Samman Rateb , Virdi Jaspal , Potluri Bernard
Published: August 2008

Anejaculation may occur as a result of neurological disease, iatrogenic injury or be drug induced. We report a case of a 66 year old man who presented with anejaculation following an emergency abdominal aortic aneurysm repair. Due to an elevated prostate specific antigen (PSA) level, the patient underwent a prostate biopsy and was diagnosed with a prostate adenocarcinoma. This was effectively managed using active surveillance, a treatment modality that aims to select only those patients with significant cancer for radical treatment. Despite the possible cause of anejaculation to be iatrogenic, the reader should be aware that prostate cancer may co-exist in, or cause any disorder of the lower urinary tract.
Families with Identical Twins Discordant for Schizophrenia
Authors: Mosher Loren R. , Pollin William , Stabenau James R.
Published: August 2008

Recent clinical studies of families with schizophrenic offspring have reported a variety of abnormalities, some of which—such as abnormalities of individual development, family roles and cognitive processes—appear to relate to the development of schizophrenia in a given child. The precise nature and mechanism of these possible relationships, however, have not yet been definitively established. It is to this end that we have been studying a series of families with identical twins discordant for schizophrenia. Previous reports have described the sample, methodology, and findings with regard to life history differences between the schizophrenic and non-schizophrenic twins (Pollin et al., 1965, 1966), biological variables (Stabenau et al., 1968, 1969; Stabenau and Pollin, 1967b, 1968a), parental illness (Guggenheim et al., 1969), and the interaction of constitutional and psychological variables (Pollin and Stabenau, 1967, 1968, and Stabenau and Pollin, 1967a). This paper describes an attempt to further clarify the relationships among four variables in our sample of families: (a) psychopathology; (b) identification; (c) thinking and ‘cognitive’ style; and (d) dominance-submissiveness.
The Future of the Psychotherapies
Authors: Marks Isaac
Published: August 2008

Psychotherapy is the art of relieving psychiatric problems by psychological means. Which problems are psychiatric and which means of treatment are psychological could be debated at length. The boundaries of psychotherapy impinge on many areas—faith-healing, religious counselling, the many caring professions, psycho-pharmacology and neurophysiology. Numerous ideas and methods are subsumed under the term psychotherapy. Some psychotherapists confine their view of psychotherapy to a limited theory and technique, while others are more comprehensive in their practice and encompass a variety of viewpoints. In the past many different schools of thought proliferated, each claiming the superiority of its own methods and its theory, while being neglectful of other techniques and ideas. New ideas would often be treated as heresy, while pragmatism would be regarded with suspicion.
Personality and Prognosis in Alcoholism
Authors: Ritson B.
Published: August 2008

In the treatment of alcoholism our aim should be to adapt the treatment to the individual patient. It is recognized that alcohol addiction is a manifestation of a multitude of differing neurotic or personality disorders and that radical treatment must focus on the underlying disorder.
Treatment of Phobic Anxiety and Psychogenic Impotence by Systematic Desensitization Employing Methohexitone-Induced Relaxation
Authors: Friedman D. E. , Lipsedge M. S.
Published: August 2008

The technique of systematic desensitization employing methohexitone-induced relaxation was first described in 1966 (Friedman, 1966) and a review of results of treatment by this technique at six-month follow-up was encouraging since 15 of 18 patients continued to show marked improvement (Friedman and Silverstone, 1967). The present study reviews 124 patients treated by the same method.
A Study of the Immunologic and Allergic Responsiveness of Chronic Schizophrenics
Authors: Hussar Allen E. , Cradle John L. , Beiser Sam M.
Published: August 2008

Schizophrenic patients are referred to frequently as immunologically incompetent or poor antibody responders. However, if the literature comparing the response of immunized chronic schizophrenics with non-schizophrenic controls is examined, contradictory results may be found (1). Development of allergic responsiveness in schizophrenics as compared to control subjects was also studied with controversial results (4, 2). No studies have been reported in which the antibody response of schizophrenic patients was measured quantitatively simultaneously with the development of an allergic skin reaction following sensitization.
Sex Ratios of Half-Sibs of Male Homosexuals
Authors: James William H.
Published: August 2008

Lang (1960) has reported that in his own data and in that of Jensch (1941) the sex ratios of the maternal half-sibs of homosexual index cases was low and the sex ratio of paternal half-sibs was high (see Table). I should like to offer a possible explanation of this phenomenon.
Bimedial Leucotomy in Obsessive-Compulsive Neurosis: A Controlled Serial Enquiry
Authors: Tan Edward , Marks Isaac , Marset Pedro
Published: August 2008

There is considerable dispute over the value of frontal leucotomy in the treatment of mental illness. Uncontrolled studies have been numerous. Many report good results (Pippard, 1955; Scoville, 1960; Sargant and Slater, 1963; Birley, 1964; Sykes and Tredgold, 1964; Post, Rees and Schurr, 1968). Some are more sceptical (Barahal, 1958). Controlled investigations have been few, and their findings unfavourable. Robin (1958) observed no difference between the outcome of 198 patients who had a standard leucotomy for functional psychosis and an equal number of carefully, but retrospectively, matched controls. In another five-year controlled follow-up study involving 183 patients in each group no significant differences in outcome, as measured by the rate of hospital discharge was found. (McKenzie and Kaczanowski, 1964.)
Drug Monitoring in a Psychiatric Unit
Authors: Gardiner A. Quentin , Hall David J.
Published: August 2008

Finney (1965) has defined drug monitoring as ‘any systematic collection and analysis of information pertaining to adverse effects or other idiosyncratic phenomena associated with the normal use of drugs'. The purpose of this study was to devise a method which could reliably detect and evaluate the frequency and nature of untoward events in a psychiatric population, examine selected factors which might influence the appearance of these events and finally study the inter-relationships between patient, drug and events. In a psychiatric unit where electroplexy is a common form of treatment and is often combined with drug therapy it is as essential to study the effects of electroplexy as it is to study the effects of drugs; in this paper, therefore, the word ‘drug’ is taken to include electroplexy. This paper describes the design, implementation and results of the monitor as a detection device, and looks at factors which were found to be associated with the occurrence of untoward drug events. No attempt, however, was made to examine the effects of other treatment measures, such as psychotherapy.
A North Wales Experiment in Subnormality Care
Authors: Craft Michael
Published: August 2008

The philosophy behind subnormality care is clearly to prevent subnormal functioning. This involves eugenic aspects, adequate obstetric and pre-natal care, paediatric diagnosis, and remedying inherited and acquired handicaps. It is common knowledge that much of the functional subnormality once seen among adults can be avoided with good community facilities. A recent team of American experts touring the U.S.S.R. reluctantly concluded that, by means of good obstetric and child care facilities, the U.S.S.R. probably avoided the hospitalization of some half the number of those who in the U.S. were found to need residential care (Kety, 1965). Craft and Miles reviewed Welsh facilities in the 1960's, and found that some of the areas reviewed apparently labelled three times as many persons ‘subnormal’ as others, thereby producing a residential hospital solution to many difficult social problems.
Abnormality on Paternal and Maternal Sides: Observations in Bipolar (Manic-Depressive) and Unipolar Depressive Psychoses
Authors: Perris Carlo
Published: August 2008

Under the heading ‘manic-depressive psychosis' it has been common practice to classify both patients who have suffered from manic and depressive episodes and those who have suffered only from recurrent depressive episodes without manic or hypomanic phases. In recent years, however, evidence has accumulated (Angst, 1966; Perris, 1966; Winokur and Clayton, 1967; Zerbin-Rüdin, 1968) supporting the hypothesis put forward by Leonhard (1957) that manic-depressive (bipolar) and recurrent depressive (unipolar) psychoses are to be regarded as two separate forms of illness, not only in their clinical aspects but also from the genetical point of view (see also Angst and Perris, 1968). If this were accepted, older theories about the genetic transmission of a global ‘manic-depressive’ psychosis would have to be revised.
Abnormality on Paternal and Maternal Sides in Chinese Schizophrenics
Authors: Tsuang Ming-tso
Published: August 2008

There have been many studies concerned with families of schizophrenics. Both environmental and genetic factors are claimed to be responsible in the development of this condition. Nowadays, there is no absolute hereditarian or environmentalist. A number of studies have shown that genetic factors are present in schizophrenia. The issue of whether this condition is caused by a single major gene with diminished penetrance or by polygenes has not yet been satisfactorily proven. Although this issue is difficult to resolve, it is important to distinguish between these two possibilities of genetic inheritance. In the case of single gene inheritance, biochemical investigation would be fruitful, but not in the case of polygenic inheritance manifesting clinical abnormalities once it exceeded a given margin of tolerance.
Distribution of Ancestral Secondary Cases in Bipolar Affective Disorders
Authors: Slater Eliot , Maxwell Joyce , Price John Scott
Published: August 2008

Perris (1966) has produced evidence that affective disorders which manifest both manic and depressive phases are genetically distinct from recurrent affective illnesses characterized by a series of depressive phases only. One of the most challenging aspects of this most interesting work by Penis is the suggestion that these bipolar illnesses might be transmitted in at least a fair proportion of cases by major genes at one or more loci. According to the calculations of Edwards (1960) the expectation of disease in the first degree relatives of probands with a polygenically determined disorder is approximately the square root of the expectation in the general population. In Perris's material the expectation in the first degree relatives of the 138 bipolar probands was 0·098 (9·8 per cent) for bipolar psychosis, and 0·185 (18·5 per cent) with the inclusion of other affective disorders which might be considered to be incomplete forms of bipolar psychosis. Although in population studies the cases of bipolar psychosis have been included with unipolar psychosis, and therefore the expectation of bipolar psychosis is not known, it is very unlikely to be as high as 0·03 (3·4 per cent) which is the square of 0·185.
The Estimation of Lithium in Serum
Authors: Coombs H. I.
Published: August 2008

Serum lithium estimation has recently assumed great importance in psychiatry. It can be successfully undertaken in any ordinary hospital laboratory equipped with a simple flame photometer such as the EEL (Evans Electroselenium Limited). It has been found that de-proteinization of serum is very satisfactorily achieved by addition of hydrochloric acid and subsequent heating. This avoids the retention of lithium in the precipitate which is associated with the use of trichloroacetic acid and of ethanol. The method is simple for the technician and very reliable and accurate.
Acute Adverse Reactions to Lsd in Clinical and Experimental use in the United Kingdom
Authors: Malleson Nicolas
Published: August 2008

It is well recognized that LSD (lysergide) can give serious adverse reactions, including suicide and prolonged psychosis; Smart and Bateman (1967) have reviewed the subject thoroughly. However, examples reported refer largely to cases where the LSD was self-administered. Medical case reports usually cover small case numbers, and publication may be determined by high adverse reaction rates. There has been no methodical survey of the pooled experience of psychiatrists since Cohen's study in 1960. This reported 44 replies sent out to 62 American investigators who had published papers or whose work was known to the author. Replies covered 5,000 subjects with 25,000 LSD or mescaline sessions. In this series, there were only two suicides that Cohen regarded as directly related to the LSD, and there were psychotic reactions (lasting more than 48 hours) at a rate of 0·8 per 1,000 experimental subjects and 1·8 per 1000 patients. It is unfortunate that one-third of the investigators failed to reply to Cohen's questionnaire.
An Examination of a Psychiatrist's Predictions of a Patient's Constructs
Authors: Rowe Dorothy
Published: August 2008

In therapy the psychiatrist is concerned to understand how the patient views himself and the significant people in his environment. It is of some importance to develop objective measures of the accuracy of the psychiatrist's understanding of the patient's world. The Repertory Grid offers a suitable technique.
The Cost of Commotion: An Analysis of the Psychiatric Sequelae of the 1969 Belfast Riots
Authors: Fraser R. M.
Published: August 2008

The 1969 disturbances in Belfast were on a scale unprecedented since 1886. By the end of September, there had been 328 injuries requiring hospital treatment, 8 fatalities, and 113 arrests (1). At least 500 houses had been damaged beyond repair and 4,000 people rendered homeless. Some 200 streets were heavily barricaded and guarded, while much of the city was effectively under military occupation.
Psychiatric Sequelae of the Belfast Riots
Authors: Lyons H. A.
Published: August 2008

The period of the study was from August 15th to the end of September, 1969. Severe rioting occurred in Belfast on the nights of 14th and 15th August, and during the next few weeks rioting, arson, looting and intimidation continued. Eight fatal casualties were recorded and a large number of people were injured, mainly from gunshot wounds.
Parental Deprivation, Family Background and Female Delinquency
Authors: Koller K. M.
Published: August 2008

The purpose of this article is twofold. Firstly as a contribution to the literature of female delinquency, a subject that has attracted little contemporary attention, with one notable exception, the essentially psychiatric study of a year's intake into a classifying Approved School by Cowie, Cowie and Slater (1968). Secondly as an examination of the hypothesis that early adverse experiences are related to female delinquency in particular and to behaviour disturbance in general.
II. the Phenomenology of Childhood Psychoses
Authors: Kolvin I. , Ounsted C. , Humphrey M. , McNay A.
Published: August 2008

This paper analyses the clinical picture in 80 children referred to the Park Hospital, Oxford, or to the Newcastle department of child psychiatry, and admitted for intensive assessment of their psychosis. All were seen by two psychiatrists and nearly three quarters of them in Oxford. The diagnostic criteria, and the differentiation by age of onset into infantile psychosis (I.P.) and late onset psychosis (L.O.P.) were discussed in the previous paper (Kolvin, I).
III. the Family and Social Background in Childhood Psychoses
Authors: Kolvin I. , Ounsted C. , Richardson L. M. , Garside R. F.
Published: August 2008

The first paper of this sequence discussed the division of childhood psychoses into those with onset before the age of 3 (infantile psychoses, I.P.) and those with onset after the age of 5 (late onset psychoses, L.O.P.). The second paper described in detail the clinical phenomena in 80 psychotic children so classified at Oxford or Newcastle (see Table I), and showed that this division corresponded to clear-cut distinctions in the clinical pictures. The I.P. group showed gaze avoidance, abnormal pre-occupations, self-isolating patterns of behaviour, echolalia, overactivity. The L.O.P. group showed hallucinations and thought disorder. With these two groups clearly established we now look to see whether anything in their family and background also distinguishes them.
VI. Cognitive Factors in Childhood Psychoses
Authors: Kolvin I. , Humphrey M. , McNay A.
Published: August 2008

This is the sixth and final paper of a series studying various symptomatic, physical and social aspects of a sample of 47 cases of infantile psychosis (I.P.) and 33 cases of late onset psychosis (L.O.P.). They were seen at the Park Hospital for Children, Oxford, and the Newcastle Child Psychiatry Unit.
The Chronicity of Schizophrenia in Indigenous Tropical Peoples
Authors: Murphy H. B. M. , Raman A. C.
Published: August 2008

Although the belief that primitive man might be free from schizophrenia has joined the rest of the golden age myths, there is still a serious question respecting the severity or chronicity of the disease in many tropical peoples. In such peoples typical cases of schizophrenia are proportionately uncommon, and in their place one often meets an acute short-lasting psychosis, which may be indistinguishable from classical schizophrenia in its initial stages but which runs a much shorter course and carries a better prognosis.
An Empirical Study of Religious Mysticism
Authors: Douglas-Smith Basil
Published: August 2008

Religions mysticism (hereinafter referred to as R.M.) is defined as (alleged) direct experience of ultimate reality seen as personal or hyper-personal. It may take any one of three forms: nature mysticism, theistic mysticism, and monist mysticism. In nature mysticism, the percipient feels the whole of Nature, including man, to be pervaded and directed by Mind (the capital letters are used deliberately). Wordsworth's Prelude and Tintern Abbey provide classical examples. In theistic mysticism, the percipient feels himself to be aware of the God of religion in a purely spiritual manner, which in respect of its immediacy is felt to be analogous to sensory perception. Thomas Aquinas, in fact, defines this kind of experience as ‘direct awareness of God, analogous to sensory perception.’ In monist mysticism, the percipient feels himself to be the One-and-Only Mind. The Yogi mystic, Swami Vivekananda, provides the classical example of this latter type of experience, proclaiming ‘I am the Blissful One’.
A Therapist's Prediction of a Patient's Dyad Grid
Authors: Ryle A. , Lunghi M.
Published: August 2008

A neurotic patient is like a traveller in unfamiliar country forced to rely upon a deficient or systematically falsified map. The joint explorations undertaken with the therapist can enable the patient to revise this map. One condition which must be met for this to occur is for the therapist to recognize clearly how the patient sees his relationships with others, including the therapist. The present paper reports a method of investigating how far this condition is met, using a dyad grid test completed by the patient and by the therapist.
Probation and Psychiatric Treatment in Edinburgh
Authors: Woodside Moya
Published: August 2008

This is a report on offenders recommended for psychiatric treatment at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital during the three years 1966 to 1968.
Regression from a Biological Standpoint
Authors: Power Thomas D.
Published: August 2008

The term regression as used in psychiatry may be defined as the re-living by an individual of his past, or part of it, in the present. Thus, in psychoanalytic therapy the patient may treat the analyst as he did one of his parents in his childhood, while in the dream of the normal person primitive tendencies and mechanisms of thought are revived. It should be noted, however, that regression is rarely or ever clear-cut or total. Although the patient reacts towards the psychoanalyst as he did in his childhood towards his father, yet at the same time he remains well aware of the analyst's true identity. Again, in the dream, although the underlying thoughts and feelings are related to childhood they are disguised and distorted by being mixed up with experiences of much later origin. In both the transference situation and the dream there is a ‘telescoping’ of the past into the present, a fusing of chronological levels, and a ‘condensation’ of experience.
The British Candidate for Termination of Pregnancy: A Quantified Survey of Psychiatric Referrals
Authors: Priest Robert G.
Published: August 2008

In Great Britain the majority of terminations are carried out under Clause 2 of the new Abortion Act—a threat to the physical or mental health of the mother. It is understood that the majority of such abortions are performed on mental rather than physical grounds. Little is known about the degree of psychiatric illness displayed by these subjects, and practically no studies so far published have attempted to quantify this.
The Effects of Psychiatric Nurses Ceasing to Wear Uniform
Authors: Walker Valerie J. , Voineskos George , Dunleavy D. L. F.
Published: August 2008

In many psychiatric units nurses now wear ordinary clothes instead of uniforms. The rationale underlying such changes has usually been that uniforms inappropriately emphasize the medical role of the nurse in physical treatment and interfere with her therapeutic role. The aim of the present study was to assess the effects of such a change on the attitudes of both nurses and patients.
Seasonal Variation in Suicidal Deaths
Authors: Lester David
Published: August 2008

It has often been stated that there is a seasonal variation in suicidal deaths, with more occurring in the spring than at other times of the year. The analysis of this phenomenon has, however, remained at a relatively crude level. For example: (1) Recent data (Dublin, 1963) indicate that the pattern is not simple. There appears to be a subsidiary peak in suicidal deaths in the early winter in the U.S.A. (2) Investigators have not investigated whether the seasonal variation is found more strongly in some subgroups of the population than in others. (3) Investigators frequently omit to carry out statistical tests of significance on their data. The present study sought to investigate the seasonal variation in suicidal deaths, taking these considerations into account.
Evaluation of Group Psychotherapy
Authors: Sethna E. R. , Harrington J. A.
Published: August 2008

Despite the popularity of group psychotherapy in its many different forms over several decades, we seem to be little nearer to an understanding of how it works and how effective it is. This lack in our understanding stems largely from deficiencies in research in this field. Bennis (1960) found that research on group psychotherapy was more often based on descriptions, anecdotes and clinical observations than on systematic collection and analysis of data. Slavson (1962) found that many of the papers which he dealt with as the editor of International Journal of Group Psychotherapy ‘lacked in scientific discipline, and often drew conclusions from inadequate evidence’. Luchins (1947) felt that there was ‘a decided deficiency in the use of objective methods of establishing outcome of group psychotherapy programmes', and Burchard et at. (1948), in their comparative evaluation of fifteen reported programmes of group psychotherapy, concluded that failure to consider pertinent variables, the lack of operational definitions, and the absence of any frame of reference, made comparison of methods or evaluation of outcome almost impossible.
Overinclusive Thought Disorder and Symptomatology
Authors: Hawks D. V. , Payne R. W.
Published: August 2008

Payne and Hewlett (1960) found that the schizophrenics having the highest factor scores on their dimension of overinclusion were diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic. Payne (1966) has suggested that if overinclusive thinking is construed as an inability to disregard irrelevant stimulation it is conceivable that overinclusive thought-disordered schizophrenics will come to hold delusions of reference and persecution as a consequence of their giving these irrelevances personal significance. In this way the paranoid schizophrenic's thought disorder is seen as the basis of his delusional symptomatology. A number of studies have lent support to this contention (Payne, Caird and Laverty, 1964; Lloyd, 1967). On the other hand several studies have failed to find the predicted relationship between overinclusive test performance and delusional symptomatology (Hawks, 1964; Chapman and McGhie, 1962).
The Performance of Manic Patients on the ‘Grid Test for Schizophrenic Thought Disorder’
Authors: Mellsop G. W. , Spelman M. S. , Harrison A. W.
Published: August 2008

It can be difficult to make a confident diagnosis and one that will stand the test of time when a person without a family history or previous history of psychosis presents as psychotic with overactivity, pressure of talk, loose association of ideas and perhaps some paranoid ideation. He may be schizophrenic or manic. The nature of the disturbance of speech, and by inference thought, may assist in making the clinical diagnosis, but standard textbooks (Slater and Roth, 1969; Freedman and Kaplan, 1967) state that pressure of speech, flight of ideas, clang associations, distractibility and inability to adhere to a line of thought are common to both conditions.
Phobic Disorders Four Years after Treatment: A Prospective Follow-up
Authors: Marks Isaac
Published: August 2008

In recent years several workers have followed-up the status of patients with phobic disorders after treatment (Terhune, 1949; Friedman, 1950; Tucker, 1956; Roberts, 1964; Sim and Houghton, 1966; Marks and Gelder, 1965; Marks, Birley and Gelder, 1966). These studies were retrospective in that evaluation was largely based on past records, and systematic interviews did not provide the main source of data. Some patients were included with phobias of duration ranging from three days to 32 years, while follow-up results were usually reported at varying durations after treatment, so that it was not possible to evaluate serial change in a cohort.
Seven Cases of Frontal Tumour with Psychiatric Presentation
Authors: Avery T. L.
Published: August 2008

In this article seven cases of frontal brain tumour, all of which were meningiomas, are reviewed and observation of their psychiatric presentation given. For various reasons frontal meningiomas are found more frequently in mental hospitals than in neurological centres (Hunter et al., 1968).
The Capgras Syndrome Following Head Injury
Authors: Weston M. J. , Whitlock F. A.
Published: August 2008

The Capgras syndrome, first described by Capgras and Rebould-Lachaux (1923), is the name applied to a peculiar delusional system in which the patients come to believe that persons well known to them—usually close relatives—are impostors who have assumed the exact appearances of those whom they have supplanted. The majority of examples of this condition have been observed in schizophrenic patients but, like most eponymous titles in medicine, the term was applied to a disease pattern that failed to fit conveniently into existing classification. Most branches of medicine, with the gradual accumulation of new information, pass through an ‘identification’ phase when new syndromes are being discovered. A further 'synthesizing’ phase is eventually reached when researchers, equipped with greater knowledge regarding likely aetiology, pattern of symptoms and treatment, are able to appreciate the wider implications and ramifications of the problem, as well as uncertainties surrounding the initially identified disease pattern. In psychiatry, titles that emphasize specific patterns of symptomatology tend to be the rule rather than the exception, but advances in psychopathology, neuropsychology and neuropathology imply a need for reassessing the contribution of a purely phenomenological approach to the problem. Such an approach may well be overdue as far as the Capgras and other syndromes are concerned. The following case is presented in the hope that the condition, when it is recognized, will be evaluated in terms of its aetiology, and that attention will be paid to the more fundamental questions of psychopathology and related patterns of neuropsychological function.
Predicting Participation Length in Group Therapy
Authors: Aston P. Jean
Published: August 2008

As part of a study of the predictive value of a picture-story test in relation to verbal behaviour in group therapy, a positive relationship was recently found between the number of participations patients made in the first session of a new therapy group and the number of times they described human figures on a projective story test as making active, observable ‘approach’ movements toward another person or place (Aston, 1970). It was hoped that this finding might prove helpful in selecting patients for group therapy.
Spiritual Considerations in Psychotherapy
Authors: Thompson Jane H.
Published: August 2008

Five years ago, with the co-operation of the Jesmond Council of Churches, I opened a Clinic in Church premises in Newcastle upon Tyne. A rota of clergymen of all denominations volunteered to help at each session, which were held on a Monday afternoon and, later, also in the evening.