The association between the disruption of motor imagery and the number of depressive episodes of major depression.

Background: Mental rotation performance may be used as an index of mental slowing or bradyphrenia, and may reflect, in particular, speed of motor preparation. Previous studies suggest depressive patients present the correlates of impaired behavioural performance for mental rotation and psychomotor disturbance. The aim of this study is to compare the mental rotation abilities of patients with a first episode of depression, recurrent depression and healthy control subjects with regard to hand tasks.

[Application of two parallel Kirschner wires in internal fixation for digital replantation: experience with 14 cases].

Objective: To improve the method for internal fixation in digital replantation.

Method: In 14 cases of finger fractures (17 fingers) admitted in our hospital between October, 2000 and March, 2003, intramedullary fixation was performed with two-parallel Kirschner wires, and the effects were compared with those of other internal fixations in cases treated within the same period.

Result: All the digital fractures healed and none of the 10 patients followed up suffered nonunion or delayed healing.