Study of TATP: stability of TATP solutions.

Stability of raw TATP (3,3,6,6,9,9-hexamethyl-1,2,4,5,7,8-hexoxonane) samples in solutions of common solvents was studied to highlight problems faced by forensic labs in identification and analysis of organic peroxide samples. The TATP samples were prepared by reaction of acetone and hydrogen peroxide (30%) with the aid of following catalysts: hydrochloric, sulfuric, nitric, perchloric and methanesulfonic acid. Acetone, acetonitrile, methanol and acetonitrile/water solutions of TATP samples were prepared and stored at 50°C.

Evidence base for pre-employment medical screening.

This paper examines the evidence base for the use of pre-employment/pre-placement medical examinations. The use of pre-employment examinations is often driven more by cultural practices than evidence. There is a lack of evidence on their effectiveness in preventing health-related occupational risks.

The hidden savings of an on-site corporate medical center.

The study presented here attempts to assess the cost savings attributable to having an on-site corporate medical clinic. For a period of 4 months, employees using the clinic were surveyed regarding: (1) whether they would have used an outside doctor if the corporate medical department clinic were not available, and (2) how many days per year they estimated that they came to work because there was an on-site medical center when they would otherwise have stayed at home. The results indicated that, on average, employees who used the facility saved 3.

The dawn of a revolution in mental health.

Issues surrounding the debate regarding psychologists' evolution as prescribers are discussed in a balanced format. Arguments against prescribing are challenged, such as the change in focus of psychological work and the potential harm to public welfare. Disruption of the process of psychotherapy, through employment of external prescribers, is also discussed, especially given the psychological meaning imbued to medicine by patients.

Parasitic infections and psychopathology: a preliminary hypothesis.

The relationship between chronic parasitic loads and psychopathology is examined. Research suggests that: (1) psychiatric disorders are more prevalent in less developed countries where parasitic loads are more endemic; (2) individual patients with parasitic loads are more likely to exhibit mental status changes; (3) there is an improvement in the mental status of a subset of psychiatric patients following treatment for parasites. Inasmuch as the prevalence of parasitic content is underestimated in both more developed and less developed countries, an awareness of this relationship should increase understanding of the needs of infected individuals, and be taken into consideration when evaluating psychiatric patients.