Deviations in circulating TNFα levels and TNFα production by mononuclear cells in healthy human populations.

Objectives: Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) plays a pivotal role in the inflammatory host response. The serum-level of TNFα and the production of TNFα by lympho/monocytes, however, seem to show high individual variations. The goal of the present study was to investigate the variations and inducibility of TNFα-activity in two age-groups of healthy volunteers.

Previous trauma exposure and PTSD symptoms as predictors of subjective and biological response to stress.

Objective: The immediate and long-term effects of traumatic exposure and subsequent posttraumatic stress reactions in people in high-risk occupations are well-documented. What is less evident is the impact of this traumatic exposure and subsequent traumatic stress symptoms on workers' response to acute stress situations. This study aimed to examine the association between prior traumatic exposure related to policing, current posttraumatic stress symptoms and biological markers of stress, and subjective appraisal of stress before, during, and after exposure to acutely stressful stimuli.

Does posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) affect performance?

Research has increasingly identified alarming levels of traumatic stress symptoms in individuals working in emergency services and other high stress jobs. This study examined the effects of prior critical incident exposure and current posttraumatic symptoms on the performance of a nonpatient population, police recruits, during an acutely stressful event. A stressful policing situation was created through the use of a video simulator room that was responsive to actions of participants.

[Anterior and posterior stabilization after resection of thyroid carcinoma destroying several cervical segments].

Case Report: Authors report a case of thyroid gland carcinoma. The tumor had metastases into the CV-VI-VII vertebras. Through an anterior approach, they removed the malignant tumor together with the bodies of the affected cervical vertebras and a two stage combined (anterior and posterior) cervical instrumentation was performed.