The Pursuit of Medical Care for Female Victims of Nonfatal Strangulation at the Time of Police Response.

Survivors of nonfatal strangulation face a number of physical health consequences, some of which can be fatal if untreated. Despite the known health risks and connections to delayed fatalities, little is known about strangulation and victims' pursuit of medical care. Using data collected from prosecutors' case files ( = 143), this study attempts to understand what factors contribute to victims receiving medical attention following a nonfatal strangulation assault reported to police.

It Ain't Over Till It's Over?: Correlates of Post-Separation Abuse Among Unmarried Women in the Republic of Korea.

This study investigates the correlates of post-separation abuse among unmarried women in the Republic of Korea ( = 744). The study employs a logistic regression model to consider if prior intimate partner violence victimization, relationship characteristics, and separation characteristics are associated with post-separation abuse. The results showed that experiencing coercive control by the former partner during the relationship, initiating the separation, and having a lower income than her former partner's income increased the odds of post-separation abuse.

Predicting Recidivism Among Defendants in an Expedited Domestic Violence Court.

Specialized domestic violence courts are presumed to be more effective than general case processing in understanding and addressing the unique issues associated with this crime type, which should lead to reduced recidivism among offenders. Research, however, is less clear about whether and how domestic violence courts reduce recidivism. This study analyzes data from a misdemeanor, expedited domestic violence court in southeast Texas to assess whether defendant characteristics and court processing characteristics influence recidivism among offenders processed through the specialty docket.

Electrical and mechanical recovery of cardiac function following out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

Background: Compression pauses may be particularly harmful following the electrical recovery but prior to the mechanical recovery from cardiopulmonary arrest.

Methods And Results: A convenience sample of patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OOHCA) were identified. Data were exported from defibrillators to define compression pauses, electrocardiogram rhythm, PetCO2, and the presence of palpable pulses.

Percutaneous coronary interventions without on-site cardiac surgery: a remote Australian experience.

Background: The current American College of Cardiology (ACC) guidelines recommend that elective percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) should not be performed in institutions without on-site cardiac surgery. We sought to determine the safety of PCI without cardiac surgical support on-site and specifically the safety of complex elective procedures. The results of the first 1000 procedures performed at our institution, which is a rural centre 80 km from the nearest cardiac surgical facility, are reported.

Selective differentiation of central nervous system-derived stem cells in response to cues from specific regions of the developing brain.

Object: Each region of the brain is distinguished by specific and distinct markers and functions. The authors hypothesized that each region possesses unique trophic properties that dictate and maintain its development. To test this hypothesis, they isolated central nervous system (CNS) stem cells from fetal rodents, and these rat CNS-derived stem cells (RSCs) were placed in coculture with primary cultures of the developing neonatal hippocampus and hypothalamus to determine whether region-specific primary cells would direct the differentiation of stem cells in a region-specific manner.

Brain stem cells adopt a pituitary fate after implantation into the adult rodent pituitary gland.

Fetal brain stem cells (RSCs) have been induced to express pituitary phenotypes in vitro in co-cultures with GH(3) cells and by exposure to GH(3)-conditioned media. In the current studies, we graft RSCs into the pituitary glands of adult rat to investigate whether grafted RSCs can be induced by the native gland to acquire pituitary properties. Grafted cells survive for 4 weeks and express Pit-1, GH, FSH, LH, ACTH, TSH and to a lesser extent PRL indicating that inductive influences are operative in vivo as well.

Rho-kinase inhibition suppresses bladder hyperactivity in spontaneously hypertensive rats.

Aims: Spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) exhibit overactive bladder (OAB) symptoms and have an up-regulated calcium sensitizing RhoA/Rho-kinase pathway in their vascular smooth muscle tissues. This study examined the role of RhoA/Rho-kinase pathway in bladder hyperactivity by evaluating the effect of a specific Rho-kinase inhibitor (Y-27632) on SHR bladder function.

Methods: Adult male SHR (n = 9) and their normotensive controls (Wistar-Kyoto; WKY) (n = 8) were anesthetized and the carotid artery cannulated for blood pressure monitoring.

Phosphodiesterase-5 inhibition synergizes rho-kinase antagonism and enhances erectile response in male hypertensive rats.

To evaluate the association between hypertension, male erectile function, Rho-kinase, and cyclic GMP pathways, we monitored neurogenic erectile response in spontaneously hypertensive (SHR) vs normotensive rats. We also evaluated SHR erectile function before and after intracavernosal injection of either the specific Rho-kinase inhibitor Y-27632 or a combination of Y-27632 and the PDE5 inhibitor zaprinast to prevent cGMP degradation. SHR had lower resting baseline corpus cavernosum pressure and a higher threshold for development of tumescence than normotensive rats.

Correction of ionized plasma magnesium during cardiopulmonary bypass reduces the risk of postoperative cardiac arrhythmia.

Unlabelled: We conducted this randomized controlled trial to determine whether the intraoperative measurement and correction of ionized plasma magnesium can reduce the risk of cardiac arrhythmia after cardiopulmonary bypass. Eighty-five patients presenting for coronary artery bypass grafting were randomly assigned either to the magnesium-corrected group, which received magnesium sulfate on the basis of measured levels of ionized plasma magnesium (n = 43), or to the control group, in which magnesium levels were identified but not corrected (n = 42). Ionized magnesium was determined with an ion-selective electrode with minimal delay, and further samples were taken for laboratory analysis of total plasma magnesium.

Small intestinal submucosa as a tunica albuginea graft material.

Purpose: We evaluated the morphological, immunological and functional response to small intestinal submucosa grafting of the tunica albuginea to determine its potential as a grafting material for penile surgery.

Materials And Methods: Male New Zealand White rabbits underwent a sham procedure (6) or tunical excision and grafting with small intestinal submucosa (6). The erectile response to the intracavernous vasoactive agents sodium nitroprusside plus a papaverine, phentolamine and prostaglandin E1 combination (Sigma Chemical Co.

Hydroxyethyl starch in balanced electrolyte solution (Hextend)--pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic profiles in healthy volunteers.

Unlabelled: Hextend is a new plasma volume expander containing 6% hydroxyethyl starch (HES) in a physiologically balanced medium of electrolytes, glucose, and lactate (weight average, molecular weight 670 kDa, molar substitution 0.75). This open-label study was designed to investigate the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic profiles of Hextend in 21 healthy volunteers.

The effects of balanced versus saline-based hetastarch and crystalloid solutions on acid-base and electrolyte status and gastric mucosal perfusion in elderly surgical patients.

Unlabelled: The IV administration of sodium chloride solutions may produce a metabolic acidosis and gastrointestinal dysfunction. We designed this trial to determine whether, in elderly surgical patients, crystalloid and colloid solutions with a more physiologically balanced electrolyte formulation, such as Hartmann's solution and Hextend, can provide a superior metabolic environment and improved indices of organ perfusion when compared with saline-based fluids. Forty-seven elderly patients undergoing major surgery were randomly allocated to one of two study groups.

Anticoagulant-induced pseudothrombocytopenia in a patient presenting for coronary artery bypass grafting.

A 73-yr-old man with severe ischaemic heart disease presented for coronary artery bypass grafting. His preoperative platelet count, obtained from an ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) sampling bottle, was 61 x 10(9) litre-1, but he had no history of bleeding problems. Previous platelet counts demonstrated results ranging from 16 x 10(9) litre-1 to 254 x 10(9) litre-1 with variable degrees of in vitro platelet clumping.

Thrombolysis and coronary occlusion: effects upon the non-infarct zone.

Regional wall motion was examined by angiography after 3 weeks in 154 patients taking part in the Thrombolysis in Coronary Occlusion (TICO) Trial. Coronary patency rate was greater after administration of recombinant tissue plasminogen activator, (rt-PA 62/77pts 81%) than after a placebo (P 49/77pts 64% P = 0.02), particularly for the left anterior descending artery compared with the right coronary artery (LAD 27/28 96% vs RCA 28/40 70% P = 0.

Determinants of recurrent ischaemia and revascularisation procedures after thrombolysis with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator in primary coronary occlusion.

This paper reports the immediate effects of thrombolysis and their subsequent influence on revascularisation procedures and clinical outcome over the subsequent twelve months. Coronary arteriography was performed at 21 days on 131 of 145 patients who received recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (n = 68) or placebo (n = 63) within 2.5 hours of symptom onset after primary coronary occlusion.

Short-term and long-term benefits of coronary angioplasty in unstable angina pectoris.

Primary coronary angioplasty was attempted in 288 patients (206 men and 82 women) who presented with stable (50%) or unstable (50%) angina pectoris. The success rates of angioplasty and the subsequent revascularization requirements in these two angina categories were compared during a one year prospective follow-up. The site and distribution of coronary artery stenoses did not differ between the categories.

Late (one month) reversible ischaemia after primary coronary occlusion treated with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rTPA).

The incidence of reversible ischaemia was assessed four weeks after primary coronary occlusion in 36 patients who had not required earlier revascularisation after randomisation to receive rTPA (n = 19) or placebo (n = 17). Coronary arteriography was performed at three weeks and thallium scintigraphy with dynamic stress testing at four weeks. Patients were followed for one year without planned intervention in the absence of symptoms.

Comparison of the immediate and long-term effects of captopril and isosorbide dinitrate as adjunctive treatment in mild heart failure.

1. The efficacy of captopril and isosorbide dinitrate (ISDN) as adjunctive therapy to digoxin and diuretics in mild heart failure was compared in a double-blind study. 2.