Martin Heitzmann (1804-1889). A military and veterinary physician in old Austria

Martin Heitzmann (1804-1889) came from the Vojvodina region in present day Serbia and received an excellent training in medicine at the Military Academy and subsequently in veterinary medicine at the Veterinary Institute of Vienna University. Until 1844 he worked as a military physician and veterinarian in the Austrian army. Then he quit his military service and settled with his family in Budapest, where he held the position of the chief veterinarian of Hungary until the 1860s. His sons Carl (1836-1896) and Julius (1847-1922), both graduates of Vienna Medical School, contributed greatly to the scientific illustrations in the 19th century. This paper represents the first complete biography of Martin Heitzmann.     

Henryk Jordan (1842-1907)--a dedicated Krakow physician, health promotor and welfare worker]

We present 2 cases of Haemophilus influenzae meningitis. The first is a patient with atypical simptomatology: abdominal pain, fever and two days later pain in the back of his legs. Abdominal pathology was not found. The cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) showed polymorphonuclear cells, hyperproteinorachia and lowered glucose. CSF culture revealed Haemophilus influenzae, blood culture was sterile. The second had suffered surgery at maxilar and ethmoid sinuses four years before, and unknown germ meningitis 6 months before. Haemophilus influenzae was isolated from CSF cultures and CSF rhinorrhea was detected by isotopic cisternography.     

"The meaning(s) of conditionals: Conditional probabilities, mental models, and personal utilities": Correction to Oberauer and Wilhelm (2003).

Reports an error in "The meaning(s) of conditionals: Conditional probabilities, mental models, and personal utilities" by Klaus Oberauer and Oliver Wilhelm (Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 2003[Jul], Vol 29[4], 680-693). On page 684, Table 4, all correlations should have been identified as having a p2003-06626-018.) Five experiments were conducted to test the hypothesis that people understand conditional statements ("if p then q") as indicating a high conditional probability P(q|p). Participants estimated the probability that a given conditional is true (Experiments 1A, 1B, and 3) or judged whether a conditional was true or false (Experiments 2 and 4) given information about the frequencies of the relevant truth table cases. Judgments were strongly influenced by the ratio of pq to p?q cases, supporting the conditional probability account. In Experiments 1A, 1B, and 3, judgments were also affected by the frequency of pq cases, consistent with a version of mental model theory. Experiments 3 and 4 extended the results to thematic conditionals and showed that the pragmatic utility associated with believing a statement also affected the degree of belief in conditionals but not in logically equivalent quantified statements. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The metabolic fate of the coronary vasodilator 4-(3,4,5-Trimethoxycinnamoyl)-1-(N-pyrrolidinocarbonylmethyl)piperazine (cinepazide) in the rat, dog and man

1. An oral dose of the coronary vasodilator 4-(3,4,5-trimethoxy[14C]cinnamoyl)-1-(N-pyrrolidinocarbonylmethyl)piperazine was well absorbed and more than 60% of the dose was excreted within 24 h. In 5 days, rats, dogs, and man excreted in the urine and faeces respectively 36.7% and 58.3%, 33.4% and 68.6%, and 61.3% and 38.1% dose. Faecal radioactivity was probably excreted via the bile. 2. Plasma concentrations of radioactivity reached a maximum within about 1 h in all three species and declined fairly rapidly (t0.5 less than 3 h). For several hours, more than 50% of the plasma radioactivity was due to unchanged drug. After correction for dose and body weight (normalization), peak plasma concentrations of unchanged drug in man, rat and dog were in the approximate ratio 100 :30:1. 3. Similar metabolites were excreted by the three species, but the relative proportions differed. Rats and man excreted 17.2% and 15.9% respectively as unchanged drug in the urine whereas dogs excreted only 3.6%. Rat bile and urine contained 4.3% and 9.8% dose respectively as glucuronides of the mono-O-demethylated compounds and dog and human urine contained 9.0% and 2.6% respectively of these metabolites. The corresponding pyrrolidone accounted for 2.5%, 5.5% and 5.1% respectively in rat, dog and human urine. Complete O-demethylation also occurred since 4-(3,4,5-trihydroxycinnamoyl)-1-(N-pyrrolidinocarbonylmethyl)piperazine was present in rat faeces (22.1% dose).     

Rediscovering a Missing Link: The Sensory Physiologist and Comparative Psychologist Mathilde Hertz (1891-1975).

Although her work was greatly respected by scholars from both psychology and biology, such as Wolfgang K?hler, Max Wertheimer, and Karl von Frisch, the life and work of the German sensory physiologist and comparative psychologist Mathilde Hertz (1891-1975) have remained relatively obscure until recently. Her research represented a combination of biological principles fused with a psychological-phenomenological perspective. After a prolific career within a short time-span, Hertz's career came to an abrupt end in 1933, despite the intervention efforts of Max Planck. Hertz's personal and professional fates are in many ways representative of the field of comparative psychology in Germany prior to the middle of the 20th century, both of its history and its demise. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Use of self-help materials for anxiety and depression in mental health services: A national survey of psychologists in Norway": Correction to Nordgreen and Havik (2011).

Reports an error in "Use of self-help materials for anxiety and depression in mental health services: A national survey of psychologists in Norway" by Tine Nordgreen and Odd E. Havik (Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 2011[Apr], Vol 42[2], 185-191). The authors' affiliations were listed incorrectly. The correct affiliations are provided in the erratum. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2011-08009-010.) How do psychologists in clinical practice perceive and use self-help materials for clients with anxiety and depression? The use of self-help materials with guidance from a therapist has been suggested as a way of meeting the increasing need for mental health services. The present study investigated factors relevant to the use of self-help materials for the treatment of anxiety and depression among psychologists employed in mental health services. Among 1863 eligible clinical psychologists in Norway, 815 (43.7%) participated in a national survey. A total of 93.5% of the participants had recommended self-help materials to clients, and approximately half (55.1%) had received requests from their clients regarding self-help materials. Self-help materials were recommended as an adjunct and not as an alternative to therapist contact by 73.0% of respondents, by 16.6% for relapse prevention, and by 1.2% to clients on a waiting list. Internet/computer-based programs were recommended by 2.2% of the participants. The practitioner's previous use of self-help materials to enhance his or her therapy skills and knowledge of self-help materials was related to use of self-help materials with clients. Psychologists working in child mental health services recommended self-help less often than those working in adult services. These results have implications for future efforts to disseminate effective self-help materials through increased attention toward self-help interventions in training and clinical practice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

The masquerade of mental health reform: Comment on Bagby, Silverman, Ryan, and Dickens (1987).

In a valuable paper, Bagby, Silverman, Ryan, and Dickens (see record 1987-32403-001) analyzed rates of involuntary admissions to Ontario psychiatric facilities for several years before and after Ontario's civil commitment law was changed in November, 1978. Bagby et al.'s paper is timely and important because it is relevant to North America generally, as yet another instance of disparity between change in the semantic formulation of the law and the subsequent behaviour of the psychiatric establishment. It still remains entirely a separate ethical question as to what extent commitment criteria, if the notion is meaningful and enforceable at all, should in fact be as restrictive as Ontario appeared to have intended a decade ago. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Pholela Health Centre--the origins of community-oriented primary health care (COPC). An appreciation of the work of Sidney and Emily Kark

The health centre practice pioneered by Sidney and Emily Kark and their colleagues at Pholela during the 1940s was a forerunner of and direct contributor to what later emerged as 'the primary health care approach'. This article gives a detailed account of the context, work and methodologies used at the Pholela Health Centre, emphasising the development of concepts that are now well recognised and described as community-oriented primary health care (COPC). COPC remains highly relevant to health service development in South Africa today.     

"The association between emotional upset and cardiac arrhythmia during daily life": Correction to Carels et al. (2003).

Reports an error in the original article by R. A. Carels et al (Journal of Consulting & Clinical Psychology, 2003[Jun], Vol 71[3], 613-618). On page 615, Lines 18, 20, 22, of Table 1, the data in the rows that read "Tachycardia in min per hr," "Repetitive PVCs per hr," and "PVCs per hr" are incorrectly reported in the n and % columns. They should have been reported in the M and SD columns. The corrected table is provided. (The following abstract of this article originally appeared in record 2003-00756-023.) Ventricular arrhythmia exhibits considerable within-subject variability that cannot be attributed to clinical status alone. This investigation examined the extent to which cardiac arrhythmia was associated with psychological and physical factors assessed during the hour preceding arrhythmic or nonarrhythmic activity. Approximately twice hourly, 46 patients randomly completed a diary assessing mood and physical symptoms during 24-hr electrocardiographic monitoring. Greater negative emotion was associated with increased arrhythmia. Additionally, greater negative emotion was significantly associated with increased arrhythmia among participants in a low left ventricular ejection fraction group (LVEF). However, this relationship between negative emotion and arrhythmia was not... (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The role and relevance of the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised in court: A case law survey of U.S. courts (1991-2004).

The Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R; R. D. Hare, 1991, 2003) is the most empirically validated instrument for measuring psychopathy in correctional and forensic psychiatric populations. The PCL-R's predictive utility with criminal justice populations has led to its frequent use by clinicians conducting forensic assessments in criminal and sexually violent predator (SVP) cases. Despite its apparent wide acceptance in U.S. courts, little is known about how often the PCL-R is being introduced, the types of cases in which it is being used, and whether claims made in court regarding psychopathy are empirically defensible and/or relevant to the question at hand. This project documents some uses of the PCL-R in U.S. courts from 1991 through 2004 by year, jurisdiction, type of evaluation, and party. The results suggest that the PCL-R is being used by expert witnesses with increasing regularity across U.S. jurisdictions, primarily to assess risk of future violence. A review of 3 recent cases is also provided that illustrates concerns about the validity of the PCL-R for certain types of legal questions that may arise in criminal and SVP trials. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Antilipidemic drugs. Part 4: The metabolic fate of the hypolipidemic agent isopropyl-[4'-(p-chlorobenzoyl)-2-phenoxy-2-methyl]-protionate (LF 178) in rats, dog and man

The excretion and plasma concentrations of radioactivity and chromatographic patterns of radioactive components in plasma and excreta have been compared in rats, dogs and man after oral doses of the hypolipidemic agent isopropyl-[4'-(p-chlorobenzoyl)-2-phenoxy-2-methyl]-propionate (LF 178; procetofene; Lipanthyl?). 2. In rats, 48.1% of a single dose of 25 mg/kg was excreted in the urine, and 48.6% in the faeces. In dogs, 23.1% of a single dose at the same level was excreted in the urine, and 71.8% in the faeces, but 88.1% of a dose of 300 mg to man was excreted in the urine, and only 5.1% in the faeces. Peak levels of radioactivity in the plasma of all three species studied were similar (20--30 mug/ml) after doses at these levels and concentrations declined thereafter with half-lives of 7--24 h in rats and dogs, and 7 h in man. The half-life of radioactivity concentrations in rat plasma was not altered by repeated daily doses for 7 days. 3. Whole-body autoradiography of rats showed that radioactivity was largely associated with the liver, kidneys and gut, which are the organs of biotransformation and excretion, although relatively high levels were present in lungs and blood, and small amounts of radioactivity had a widespread distribution into some peripheral tissues during 2--7 h after dosing. 4. The available chromatographic evidence indicated that the most important biotransformation pathway appeared to be ester hydrolysis to LF 178 acid and formation of water soluble conjugates of this acid. This pathway appeared similar to that of the related drug clofibrate (ethyl p-chlorophenoxyisobutyrate).     

Gunshot and blast injuries to the abdomen. The problems of mechanogenesis and of diagnostic and treatment procedures based on the experience of delivering surgical care to the wounded during the war in Afghanistan (1980-1989)

The work is bases on an analysis of treatment of 2687 wounded in the abdomen. There are two main groups of factors in mechanogenesis of military injuries of the abdomen: ballistic parameters of gunshot shells and additional injuring factors of mine-explosive ammunition. Bullet wounds prevailed (60.2%), lethality from penetrating abdominal injuries was 31.4%. Laparotomies were performed in 10.7% of the patients on the basis of absolute symptoms of penetrating wounds of the abdomen, in 74.1%--on the basis of analytical signs and in 15.2%--due to results of abdominal paracentesis. The following questions are discussed: the adequacy of the access, reinfusion of the blood accumulated in the abdominal cavity, surgical treatment for gunshot peritonitis, errors in treatment of wounded with abdominal injuries, application of new methods of treatment. Surgical features of traumatic disease and its treatment in wounded with gunshot abdominal injuries are described.