Dissociative identity disorder and substance abuse: the forgotten relationship.

The treatment and research of dissociative disorders, particularly dissociative identity disorder (DID), are hampered by professional skepticism and diagnostic uncertainties. Almost always associated with severe and sustained childhood trauma, its chief manifestations are at least two distinct and separate identities which have an independent manner of existing in the world. It is also associated with a high degree of psychiatric comorbidity.

Development of a surface adhesion immunofluorescent technique for the rapid detection of Salmonella spp. from meat and poultry.

A rapid method based on bacterial adhesion was developed for the detection of Salmonella in an enriched meat system. Minced beef samples inoculated with Salm. enteritidis (10 cfu g-1) were incubated overnight (18 h) at 37 degrees C in buffered peptone water.

The survival characteristics of a non-toxigenic strain of Escherichia coli O157:H7.

The survival characteristics of a non-toxigenic, antibiotic-resistant strain of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in bovine faeces were investigated. Faecal samples were inoculated with 10(8-9) cfu g-1 of the organism and (i) stored in closed plastic containers at 10 degrees C, (ii) stored in closed plastic containers placed outside or (iii) decanted onto the surface of grazing land. Recovery and enumeration on Sorbitol MacConkey Agar (SMAC) and Tryptic Soya Agar (TSA) revealed that the E.

The effects of memantine on the subjective, reinforcing and cardiovascular effects of cocaine in humans.

Eight male frequent cocaine smokers participated in a 44- to 47-day inpatient and outpatient study to assess the effects of the noncompetitive N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) antagonist, memantine, on cocaine self-administration, subjective effects, and psychomotor performance. Participants were maintained on memantine (0 and 20 mg daily) for 7-10 days prior to laboratory testing, using a double-blind crossover design. Under each medication condition, participants smoked four doses of cocaine base (0, 12, 25 and 50 mg), and were subsequently given five opportunities, 14 min apart, to self-administer that dose of cocaine or receive a merchandise voucher ($5.

The use of a surface adhesion immunofluorescent (SAIF) method for the rapid detection of Yersinia enterocolitica serotype O:3 in meat.

This study examined the attachment kinetics of Yersinia enterocolitica serotype O:3 to determine the optimum conditions for its isolation from meat enrichment systems using a novel surface adhesion technique. Minced beef was inoculated with Y. enterocolitica at an initial level of 10 cfu g-1 and incubated at 25 degrees C in an enrichment broth.

A study of the growth kinetics of Yersinia enterocolitica serotype O:3 in pure and meat culture systems.

The growth kinetics of a virulence plasmid-bearing (P+) and a plasmid-cured (P-) strain of Yersinia enterocolitica serotype O:3 in pure and meat culture were investigated. Growth studies were carried out at 25 and 37 degrees C in supplemented phosphate-buffered saline, buffered peptone water, cefsulodin-irgasan-novobiocin broth base or supplemented broth base (CIN). The lag phase durations and growth rates under these conditions were determined by linear regression analysis.

Problem of amputations in patients with newly diagnosed diabetes mellitus.

A reduction of 50% or more in diabetes-related amputations is a primary target of the St Vincent Declaration. This is thought to be achievable because both primary and secondary preventative healthcare strategies are effective in reducing the incidence of diabetic foot ulceration and progression to amputation. Unfortunately there is a group who cannot benefit from preventative health care, that is, newly diagnosed diabetic patients with already established severe complications.

Survival of Escherichia coli O157:H7 during the manufacture of pepperoni.

This study investigated the growth and survival of Escherichia coli O157:H7 during the manufacture of pepperoni to determine whether a 5-log10-unit decline in numbers, as recommended by the U.S. Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), could be achieved.

Methylphenidate treatment for cocaine abusers with adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a pilot study.

Background: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is common among cocaine abusers seeking treatment. This open trial was carried out to assess the efficacy of sustained-release methylphenidate for the treatment of cocaine abuse among individuals with ADHD.

Method: Twelve patients who met DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for adult ADHD and cocaine dependence were entered into a 12-week trial of divided daily doses of sustained-release methylphenidate ranging from 40 to 80 mg.

Localised sequence regions possessing high melting temperatures prevent the amplification of a DNA mimic in competitive PCR.

The polymerase chain reaction is an immensely powerful technique for identification and detection purposes. Increasingly, competitive PCR is being used as the basis for quantification. However, sequence length, melting temperature and primary sequence have all been shown to influence the efficiency of amplification in PCR systems and may therefore compromise the required equivalent co-amplification of target and mimic in competitive PCR.

Perceived ease of use and usefulness of bedside-computer systems.

Many new technologies are being developed to improve the efficiency and productivity of nursing staff. A key to the success of these technologies is acceptance by nurses. Davis' constructs of perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness were developed to measure the acceptance of computer systems.

V antigen of Yersinia pestis inhibits neutrophil chemotaxis.

V antigen (V), a secreted protein encoded by the 70 kb low-calcium response plasmid of Yersinia pestis, is an essential virulence factor. In animal models, it inhibits the early host inflammatory response to infection which is associated with decreased blood and tissue levels of proinflammatory cytokine synthesis. To elucidate further the pathogenetic mechanism(s) of V, in vitrosystems are needed to measure and analyse relevant functional activities of V.

Peripheral resolution using stationary and flickering gratings: the effects of age.

Purpose: Currently, little or no psychophysical data exist on the decline in retinal ganglion cell density, with age or on the nature of any selective age-related loss of one cell type over another. The authors wished to determine the nature of any decline in ganglion cell density with age using measurements of peripheral grating resolution, which is directly related to ganglion cell sampling density.

Methods: We measured grating resolution at 4 different retinal locations in a group of 97 normal subjects ranging in age from eight to eighty-one years.

Factors affecting the emergence of pathogens on foods.

Recent times have seen the emergence of a number of new or emerging pathogens. Research is needed to establish the mechanisms underlying their emergence in foods, and their interactions with traditional food production processes. The paper reviews the general relationships between environmental stresses and pathogen emergence.

Presentation and treatment of spontaneous aortocaval fistula.

Background: Spontaneous rupture of abdominal aortic aneurysm into the inferior vena cava is rare. The clinical presentation is highly variable, and the diagnosis can be difficult, often being made only at operation. The aortocaval fistula results in a large left-to-right shunt, which can cause cardiac failure.

A comparison of immunomagnetic and surface adhesion immunofluorescent techniques for the rapid detection of Listeria monocytogenes and Listeria innocua in meat.

An immunomagnetic immunofluorescent method was investigated for the rapid detection of Listeria monocytogenes and Listeria innouca. This technique involved enrichment of the suspect sample at 30 degrees C overnight. Listeria monocytogenes cells were isolated from the enriched sample using immunomagnetic separation and Listeria were subsequently visualized using an immunofluorescent microscopy technique.

Development of a surface adhesion immunofluorescent technique for the rapid isolation of Listeria monocytogenes and Listeria innocua from meat.

The use of a novel surface adhesion technique to isolate Listeria monocytogenes and Listeria innocua from an enrichment meat system was developed. Minced beef samples inoculated with L. monocytogenes (10 cfu g(-1)) were incubated at 30 degrees C for 14-18 h in a suitable enrichment broth.

The effect of vacuum and modified atmosphere packaging on the shelf-life of lamb primals, stored at different temperatures.

Lamb primals (shoulders) were vacuum packaged or packaged in modified atmospheres containing 80% O(2)/20% CO(2), 50% CO(2)/50% N(2) or 100% CO(2), and stored at 5 or 0 °C. They were examined microbiologically at 7 day intervals for total counts obtained under (1) aerobic, (2) CO(2) enriched or (3) anaerobic conditions; B. thermosphacta; pseudomonad and Enterobacteriaceae counts.

Yersinia spp. and numbers, with particular reference to Y. enterocolitica bio/serotypes, occurring on Irish meat and meat products, and the influence of alkali treatment on their isolation.

Samples (n = 340) of Irish meat and meat products were examined to determine the incidence and initial numbers of Yersinia spp. present. In cases where no typical Yersinia colonies were observed, samples were cold enriched up to 21 days at 4 degrees C and streaked out on CIN agar with and without post-enrichment alkali treatment.

Medical student and patient attitudes toward religion and spirituality in the recovery process.

This study compares the views on spirituality of dually diagnosed patients (diagnosed with both substance abuse and general psychiatric disorders) and medical students in order to investigate their respective orientations toward spirituality and their views of the importance of spirituality in the treatment of addiction. We administered a modified version of Feagin's "Orientation to Life and God Scale" to assess religious and spiritual orientation in both the patients and students. A second series of items was developed and administered in order to compare the patients' and students' perceptions of the relative importance of a religious and spiritual orientation in substance abuse treatment.

Cross-reactivity of antibodies raised to Pseudomonas fluorescens protease with extracellular proteins produced by meat-spoiling pseudomonads.

The cross-reactivity patterns of antibodies to Pseudomonas fluorescens protease with the extracellular proteins produced by a number of meat-spoiling pseudomonads were studied. Immunoblotting studies showed that purified IgG to Ps. fluorescens protease cross-reacted with extracellular proteins in the cell culture supernatant fluids of Pseudomonas spp.

Physical characteristics of lamb primals packaged under vacuum or modified atmospheres.

Lamb primals (shoulders) were packaged under vacuum, 80% O(2)/20% CO(2), 50% CO(2)/50% N(2) or 100% CO(2) and stored at 5 or 0 °C. Pack contents were examined at 7 day intervals to determine the composition of the pack atmosphere, drip loss, colour (muscle and fat) and pH (surface and internal). The composition of the gas atmospheres changed very little during storage.

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) detection of Listeria monocytogenes in diluted milk and reversal of PCR inhibition caused by calcium ions.

DNA from Listeria monocytogenes was used as the model system from this investigation, with PCR primers based on the listeriolysin O gene. Under standard polymerase chain reaction (PCR) conditions and with no prior treatment, amplification failed in the presence of more than 5% milk. Since inhibition of the PCR occurred at the same milk concentrations with full fat, half fat and fat-free milk, inhibition was not attributed to the fat content of the milk.