Dynamics of affect modulation in neurodevelopmental disorders (DynAMoND) - study design of a prospective cohort study.

Background: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common neuro-developmental disorder that often persists into adulthood. Moreover, it is frequently accompanied by bipolar disorder (BD) as well as borderline personality disorder (BPD). It is unclear whether these disorders share underlying pathomechanisms, given that all three are characterized by alterations in affective states, either long or short-term.

Assessment of the validity and feasibility of a novel virtual reality test of emotion regulation in patients with bipolar disorder and their unaffected relatives.

Background: Emotion dysregulation has been suggested as an endophenotype of bipolar disorder (BD). Neuroimaging studies show aberrant neural activity during emotion regulation in remitted patients with BD and their unaffected first-degree relatives (UR) compared to healthy controls (HC). However, behavioural studies produce conflicting - generally negative findings - possibly due to limited sensitivity and ecological validity of current behavioural paradigms.

"Love Your Love Life": Disadvantaged African American Adolescents Cocreate Psychoeducational Romantic and Sexual Health Resources.

Sexually transmitted disease transmission, dating violence, trafficking, and unplanned pregnancy disproportionately afflict disadvantaged African American adolescents, and social services to effectively remedy this crisis need improvement. Moreover, disadvantaged African American adolescents have been significantly underrepresented in mental health, social services, and best practices research, so existing evidence-based practice models are insufficiently inclusive of these adolescents' perspectives. As a remedy, this study describes a formative evaluation of a youth-led, participatory action-based summer and after-school program, Love Your Love Life.

Pegylated interferon alfa and ribavirin for 14 versus 24 weeks in patients with hepatitis C virus genotype 2 or 3 and rapid virological response.

Unlabelled: A recent nonrandomized pilot trial showed that hepatitis C virus (HCV) patients with genotype 2/3 and rapid virological response (RVR) had a 90% sustained virological response (SVR) rate after 14 weeks of treatment. We aimed to assess this concept in a randomized controlled trial. In the trial, 428 treatment-naïve HCV RNA-positive patients with genotype 2 or 3 were enrolled.

Sub-acute neuropathy in patients with African tick bite fever.

African tick bite fever (ATBF) caused by Rickettsia africae is an emerging health problem in travellers to sub-Saharan Africa. We here present 6 patients with evidence of long-lasting sub-acute neuropathy following ATBF contracted during safari trips to southern Africa. Three patients developed radiating pain, paresthaesia and/or motor weakness of extremities, 2 had hemi-facial pain and paresthaesia, and 1 developed unilateral sensorineural hearing loss.

Comparison of preference-based utilities of the 15D, EQ-5D and SF-6D in patients with HIV/AIDS.

Objective: This article compares preference-based utilities from the multiattribute utility instrument 15D with those derived from the EQ-5D and the Short Form 36 (SF-6D) in patients with HIV/AIDS. In particular, we wanted to examine if the finer descriptive system of the 15D would result in better discriminative capacity or responsiveness.

Methods: In a prospective observational study of 60 Norwegian patients with HIV/AIDS from two hospitals, the authors compared scores, assessed associations with disease staging systems, and assessed test-retest reliability and responsiveness of the instruments.

[Bite wound infections].

Background: The lifetime risk of experiencing a bite wound, human or animal, is approximately 50%, and bite wounds account for approximately 1% of all visits to emergency departments. The majority of bite wounds are inflicted by dogs and cats.

Material And Methods: A review of the literature on the diagnosis and treatment of bite wound infections is presented.

Treatment with pegylated interferon and ribavarin in HCV infection with genotype 2 or 3 for 14 weeks: a pilot study.

The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy of 14 weeks of treatment in patients infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 2 or 3 who achieve early virological response (EVR). In a noncontrolled multicenter trial, 122 treatment-naive patients received 1.5 mug/kg pegylated interferon alfa-2b subcutaneously once weekly and 800 to 1,400 mg/d ribavirin based on body weight.

Exflagellation of microgametocytes in Plasmodium vivax malaria: a diagnostic conundrum.

Objective: To present a clinical diagnostic conundrum of unidentified structures in a blood smear from a patient with Plasmodium vivax malaria.

Clinical Presentation And Intervention: A 37-year-old Ethiopian male presented with a 4-month history of chills, chronic diarrhea and weight loss. He was diagnosed with P.

Sequential changes in hematologic and biochemical parameters in African tick bite fever.

Objective: To evaluate the sequential changes and to estimate the frequencies of abnormalities in some commonly measured biological variables in patients with African tick bite fever (ATBF), an emerging spotted fever group (SFG) rickettsiosis in international travelers to rural sub-Saharan Africa.

Methods: A study was done of hemoglobin, total leukocyte count, absolute lymphocyte count, blood platelet count and serum levels of C-reactive protein (S-CRP), alanine aminotransferase (S-ALAT), aspartate aminotransferase, lactic dehydrogenase, gamma-glutamyl transferase, alkaline phosphatase, bilirubin, sodium and creatinine during the first two weeks of illness and prior to the institution of antirickettsial therapy in 108 patients with travel-associated ATBF.

Results: There were significant falls in mean total leukocyte count, mean absolute lymphocyte count, and mean platelet count, and significant increases in mean S-CRP and S-ALAT.

Raised serum ferritin predicts non-response to interferon and ribavirin treatment in patients with chronic hepatitis C infection.

Background/aim: Previous studies have indicated that response to interferon therapy is inversely proportional to the amount of body iron stores. We have studied the relationship between serum ferritin, transferrin saturation, liver iron, presence of HFE-C282Y gene mutation and response to treatment in patients with chronic hepatitis C infection.

Methods: Two hundred and fifty-six naive, HCV-RNA positive patients (60% males, median age 38 years, range 21-70) were treated with interferon and ribavirin for 6 months.

Thyroid dysfunction during treatment of chronic hepatitis C with interferon alpha: no association with either interferon dosage or efficacy of therapy.

Objectives: Treatment of chronic hepatitis C with interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) may induce thyroid disorders. We evaluated whether this risk is related to the dosage of IFN-alpha or the virological treatment response. Other possible risk factors as well as the evolution of the thyroid abnormalities were also studied.

Effect of interferon-alpha induction therapy on genotype 2b/3a and low viral load hepatitis C virus infection. A randomized multicentre study.

Background: Interferon monotherapy for chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection leads to sustained viral eradication in a minority of patients. However, in selected groups of patients, sustained virological response is observed in as many as 50% of patients. High initial interferon dose (induction therapy) has been reported to increase the initial response rate.

Effect of combined interferon-alpha induction therapy and ribavirin on chronic hepatitis C virus infection: a randomized multicentre study.

Background: The efficacy of interferon-alpha (IFN) induction in combination with ribavirin for chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is not known.

Methods: A total of 256 treatment-naive HCV RNA-positive patients with biopsy-confirmed chronic hepatitis were enrolled in a randomized multicentre study. The patients received either standard combination therapy with 3 MIU interferon-alpha2b thrice weekly for 26 weeks or 6 MIU interferon-alpha2b daily for 4 weeks and 3 MIU 3/7 days for 22 weeks.

Treatment of chronic hepatitis C in injecting drug users: 5 years' follow-up.

Aim Of The Study: To assess the long-term hepatitis C (HCV) treatment outcome in former injecting drug users (IDUs).

Materials And Methods: A long-term follow-up of 27 former IDUs who had been successfully treated for chronic hepatitis C was performed. These patients represented all IDUs who had obtained a sustained virological response in a Norwegian HCV treatment trial.

Anisakiasis presenting as an obstructive duodenal tumor. A Scandinavian case.

A case of chronic anisakiasis presenting as an occluding duodenal tumor is described. Significant falls in Anisakis simplex-specific serum IgE and total IgE occurred after resection of the lesion. Histopathologic examination showed a chronic eosinophilic granulomatous infiltrate and a tubular sclerotic structure in the antral submucosa consistent with, but not diagnostic for, an A.

[Knowledge about amd attitude to postoperative pain therapy of health personnel. A questionnaire survey].

From research results published over the last years it appears that many surgical patients are still undertreated for their postoperative pain. The study was performed in order to reveal the attitudes and knowledge of physicians and nurses towards postoperative pain therapy. Questionnaires were sent to physicians and nurses at the surgical and anaesthesiological wards at the hospital.

Low frequency of complications in imported falciparum malaria: a review of 222 cases in south-eastern Norway.

We performed a retrospective study of 222 cases of falciparum malaria diagnosed in Oslo and Akerhus counties, Norway, from January 1988 to December 1997. Except for 12 cases, all had acquired the disease in sub-Saharan Africa. Sixty-four (28.

Treatment with interferon-alpha2a alone or interferon-alpha2a plus ribavirin in patients with chronic hepatitis C previously treated with interferon-alpha2a. CONSTRUCT Group.

Background: Preliminary results from combination therapy with interferon-alpha and ribavirin (IFN/Rib) in patients with chronic hepatitis C have been promising, with up to 50% sustained hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA response. The aim of this study was to investigate whether a sustained HCV RNA response could be obtained with combination therapy in patients who were non-responders or relapsers after IFN treatment.

Methods: In a multicenter study we randomized 53 HCV RNA-positive patients into 2 treatment groups.

Herpes simplex virus type 2 DNA detected in cerebrospinal fluid of 9 patients with Mollaret's meningitis.

We present clinical and virological data on 9 patients, 7 women and 2 men aged 31-56 years, with recurrent aseptic meningitis (Mollaret's meningitis). Polymerase chain reaction detected Herpes simplex virus type 2 DNA in cerebrospinal fluid samples from all patients collected during their latest attacks of meningitis. Six patients had no history of genital herpes.

The effect of treatment with alpha-interferon on hepatitis G/GBV-C viraemia. The CONSTRUCT Group.

Background: Hepatitis G virus (HGV) or GBV-C is frequently detected in patients co-infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV). This study investigated host and virologic factors influencing the response to HGV/GBV-C to alpha-interferon treatment.

Methods: HGV/GBV-C was detected and quantified by nested polymerase chain reaction.