Pectoralis major rupture: ensuring accurate diagnosis and effective rehabilitation.

Rupture of the pectoralis major muscle and tendon, which occurs most frequently among weight lifters but has been reported in many sports, can most often be diagnosed based on the history and physical exam. Surgical intervention for complete ruptures has a clear advantage over conservative therapy. Athletes of all levels can be expected to return to near preinjury levels of participation following surgery and a well-constructed, supervised rehabilitation program.

Common upper-extremity injuries.

In the daily practice of family medicine, injuries to the upper extremity are frequently encountered. Most of these injuries can by easily treated by the primary care physician who has an understanding of the joint anatomy and treatment principles. Some injuries, however, may appear relatively minor, yet require prompt referral for surgical care.

Establishment of an in vitro assay to characterize hepatitis C virus NS3-4A protease trans-processing activity.

An in vitro cleavage system was established to measure HCV NS3 protease trans-processing activity. This system utilizes purified NS3-4A protein from baculovirus, purified substrates expressed by in vitro transcription and translation and defined buffer components. The 41-residue substrates, 5A/5B and 4A/4B, were processed efficiently in trans by wild-type NS3 but not by a catalytically inactive mutant protease; radiolabel sequencing confirmed that NS3-mediated cleavage occurred at the correct cysteine/serine sites, thereby authenticating this system.

Personality: individual differences and clinical assessment.

Research in clinical personality assessment continues to be produced at a high rate. The MMPI/MMPI-2 remains the most popular instrument for both clinical application and psychopathology research. Two other clinical personality instruments, the Rorschach and TAT, continue to find a place in research and clinical assessment.

Psychometric characteristics of the MMPI-2 Cook-Medley Hostility scale.

The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI; Hathaway & McKinley, 1943) Cook-Medley Hostility scale (Ho) has been studied a great deal because of its relation to coronary disease and mortality. However, little research has been conducted with the Ho scale on the revised MMPI (MMPI-2; Butcher, Dahlstrom, Graham, Tellegen, & Kaemmer, 1989). This study examined the psychometric characteristics of the MMPI-2 Ho scale.

Comparability and validity of computerized adaptive testing with the MMPI-2.

The comparability and validity of a computerized adaptive (CA) Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) were assessed in a sample of 571 undergraduate college students. The CA MMPI-2 administered adaptively Scales L, E the 10 clinical scales, and the 15 content scales, utilizing the countdown method (Butcher, Keller, & Bacon, 1985). All subjects completed the MMPI-2 twice, with three experimental conditions: booklet test-retest, booklet-CA, and conventional computerized (CC)-CA.

Prophylactic Greenfield filter placement in selected high-risk trauma patients.

Purpose: Pulmonary embolus (PE) remains a major factor in morbidity and death in severely injured patients, especially those in specific high-risk groups. PEs have been documented to occur despite routine deep venous thrombosis prophylaxis. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of prophylactic Greenfield filter (PGF) placement in patients who have multiple trauma with known high-risk injuries for PE.

When paroxysmal positioning vertigo isn't benign.

The electronystagmographic auditory brainstem response and magnetic resonance imaging findings for a 33-year-old male with a 3.5 cm left vestibular schwannoma are presented. Of particular interest was the presence of an unusual positioning nystagmus following the Dix-Hallpike maneuver in the right head-hanging position.

Development of MMPI-A alcohol/drug problem scales.

The present study introduces two new scales for the assessment of alcohol and other drug problems developed from the new Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-Adolescent (MMPI-A), including the rationally constructed Alcohol/Drug Problems Acknowledgement Scale (ACK) and the empirically-derived Alcohol/Drug Problems Proneness Scale (PRO). Validity of these scales is examined by comparing scores from a sample of adolescents hospitalized for alcohol and other drug problems with a normative sample of adolescents and with a sample of adolescents in psychiatric inpatient treatment. Results suggest that ACK and PRO show promise in the detection and description of alcohol and other drug problems in young people.

Recombinant influenza virus polymerase: requirement of both 5' and 3' viral ends for endonuclease activity.

Influenza virus polymerase complexes that were expressed in the absence of genomic viral RNA and nucleoprotein were examined for endonuclease activity and transcriptase ability in vitro. Nuclear extracts of cells that express influenza virus polymerase through recombinant vaccinia virus infection did not display specific endonuclease activity in vitro. This polymerase presumably represents an early form of enzyme present in infected cells prior to ribonucleoprotein assembly.

Psychological assessment of airline pilot applicants with the MMPI-2.

Psychological tests like the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) have been used widely to assess personality characteristics and appraise potential mental health problems of individuals applying for responsible positions. This study had three major goals: First, these data allowed for an evaluation of the effects of the new norms for the traditional validity and clinical scale scores of the MMPI-2 in an employment selection program. Second, the effects that test defensiveness had on the MMPI-2 scores of a group of individuals, airline pilot applicants who were taking the test in a preemployment context, were evaluated.

Reassessing the role of arteriograms in the management of posterior knee dislocations.

Vascular injury has been reported in up to one third of patients with posterior knee dislocations, which has led to the routine use of arteriograms in the management of these injuries. Recent studies have shown physical examination (PE) is reliable in detecting significant vascular injuries requiring surgery from other mechanisms. We hypothesized that PE would be similarly sufficient to assess popliteal injury in patients with posterior knee dislocations.

An efficient route to N-palmitoyl-D-erythro-sphingomyelin and its 13C-labeled derivatives.

We describe here a practical and efficient route to a homogeneous N-palmitoyl-D-erythro-sphingomyelin and its 13C-labeled derivatives. (2S,3R,4E)-2-Azido-3-(tert-butyldimethylsilyloxy)-4-octad ecene-1-ol 1 was converted to the sphingosine equivalent 2 by treatment with triphenylphosphine and water. Amine 2 was then coupled with palmitic acid, affording the ceramide derivative 3a.

Runner's diarrhea and other intestinal problems of athletes.

Lower gastrointestinal tract symptoms occur frequently in runners. The most common complaints are bowel urgency and diarrhea. Many etiologies have been proposed, including enteric fluid and electrolyte imbalance, autonomic nervous system stimulation, ischemia and mechanical trauma.

A factor analytic study of coping styles and the MMPI-2 content scales.

The relationships among coping styles and psychopathology were examined with the MMPI-2 content scales and a reliable and valid coping measure--the Coping Inventory For Stressful Situations (CISS). Subjects were 167 higher-functioning normal adult males. The results are consistent with previous research that employed the CISS; a strong positive association was found between emotion-oriented coping strategies and various measures of psychopathology.

A cross-validation of MMPI-2 substance abuse scales.

We evaluated the efficacy of the Addiction Potential Scale (APS) and the Addiction Acknowledgement Scale (AAS), two new scales designed to assess substance abuse problems with the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2), in samples from settings different from those used in their development. Results replicate earlier findings that both scales discriminate between psychiatric and substance abuse samples and do so more effectively than other substance abuse scales designed for use with the MMPI and carried over to the MMPI-2. Results also suggest that APS may be more resistant than AAS to response distortion.

New measures for assessing alcohol and drug abuse with the MMPI-2: The APS and AAS.

We introduce two new scales for assessing substance abuse problems with the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2): the Addiction Potential Scale (APS), a 39-item empirically derived scale, developed by contrasting the responses of a large residential substance abuse sample with responses from both normative and psychiatric control groups; and the Addiction Acknowledgement Scale (AAS), a 13-item face-valid scale, constructed rationally and with attention to internal consistency. Both new scales are shown to discriminate well between groups and substantially better than other selected substance abuse scales. Covariation between the scales and joint effectiveness are examined.

MMPI-2 profiles of women at risk for child abuse.

This study addresses the utility of the MMPI-2 in assessing personality characteristics of women who have a high potential for abusing their children. A sample of 154 women was identified on the basis of demographic characteristics as high risk for child abuse and other care-taking problems. They were evaluated (with the MMPI-2-AX form) during their pregnancy and are being followed up as part of the evaluation of a prevention/intervention program.

Couples in marital distress: a study of personality factors as measured by the MMPI-2.

This study examines the relationship between Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) measured personality characteristics and marital distress and provides empirical validation for using the MMPI-2 with a marital therapy population. Studied were 150 couples in marital therapy and 841 normal couples who participated in the MMPI-2 restandardization study. The MMPI-2, a biographical form, a partner rating form, and the Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS) were administered to all couples.

Personality and aging: a study of the MMPI-2 among older men.

We examined whether separate norms for older men are necessary for the revised Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI-2). Scores from 1,459 men in the Normative Aging Study (NAS) (age: M = 61.27, SD = 8.

Platelets stimulate expression of endothelin mRNA and endothelin biosynthesis in cultured endothelial cells.

Modulation of the biosynthesis of the vasoconstrictor peptide endothelin was studied in cultured endothelial cells. Immunoreactive endothelin (irET) levels were significantly elevated in conditioned medium from bovine pulmonary artery endothelial (BPAE) or human umbilical vein endothelial cells when coincubated with washed human platelets. Platelets (approximately 200,000 cells/microliters) enhanced irET levels approximately 250% over basal levels.