Prenatal tobacco smoke exposure, risk of schizophrenia, and severity of positive/negative symptoms.

Prenatal exposure to cigarette smoke causes chronic fetal hypoxia, dysregulation of endocrine equilibrium, and disruption of fetal neurodevelopment associated with brain malfunction, all of which potentially could induce vulnerability to schizophrenia. A total of 212 schizophrenia patients aged 14-30years, and 212 matched controls were studied. Prenatal tobacco smoke exposure of the schizophrenia patients was compared to that of the normal controls by applying logistic regression analysis and controlling for several confounding factors.

Bodily manifestations in the psychoanalytic process.

The broadening scope of psychoanalysis has brought to the fore patients whose unconscious conflicts tend to be literally played out on the stage of the body. In these cases, the body seems to be predominantly used in a concrete, not symbolic, way in order to express underlying conflicts. In a similar vein, transference and countertransference can be manifested via the body.

Assessment of sexual function in patients with cancer undergoing radiotherapy--a single centre prospective study.

Aim: The main objective was to delineate the rates and clinical course of sexual function and depression in cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy.

Patients And Methods: Forty-eight male and 90 female radiotherapy-naive outpatients with breast or pelvic cancer completed the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) or the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI), and the Hamilton Depression Scale (HDS) prior to (phase 1), at the end of (phase 2) and 12 months after radiotherapy (phase 3).

Results: Overall, the majority of patients (93.

Repression and splitting in the psychoanalytic process.

The authors examine the concepts of repression and splitting and their interplay during the psychoanalytic process. Initially, repression was introduced by the clinical phenomenon of resistance, leading to the formulation of the association between intrapsychic conflicts and neurotic symptoms. Later, repression was linked to normal development and to personality organization.