Post Abortion Syndrome is a Clinical Reality: A Critical and Methodological Reflection on the Politics,Biology and Phenomenology of Unwanted Pregnancy and Abortion

Macleod (2009) criticizes Boulind and Edwards (2008) for using the concept of post-abortion syndrome (PAS) in their conceptualization of the case of Grace. This article responds to this by arguing the following points: 1) the appropriation of PAS into anti-abortion rhetoric is not sufficient reason to abandon it since this rhetoric distorts the facts, 2) methodological difficulties cited by Macleod in identifying the nature of the distress experienced by some women post-abortion are an artifact of the use of multivariate statistical methods which are not appropriate for answering these questions; 3) the well documented process of maternal foetal attachment, which has a neurobiological basis, shapes a pregnant women's experience of the foetus in the direction of experiencing it in personal terms; 4) the incorporation of this into the clinical concept of PAS carries no implications about foetal personhood; 5) there is considerable documentation of the loss of a foetus being experienced as a bereavement by some women and giving rise to a traumatic grief response; 6) there is a difference between a formal diagnosis in a diagnostic manual and a clinical syndrome which can guide case formulation. It is concluded that the presentation of the case of Grace, rather than offering evidence that supports a pro-life stance on abortion, is an example of the kind of emancipatory theory and practice that is advocated by Macleod.     

Neural correlates of music recognition in Down syndrome

The brain mechanisms that subserve music recognition remain unclear despite increasing interest in this process. Here we report the results of a magnetoencephalography experiment to determine the temporal dynamics and spatial distribution of brain regions activated during listening to a familiar and unfamiliar instrumental melody in control adults and adults with Down syndrome (DS). In the control group, listening to the familiar melody relative to the unfamiliar melody, revealed early and significant activations in the left primary auditory cortex, followed by activity in the limbic and sensory-motor regions and finally, activation in the motor related areas. In the DS group, listening to the familiar melody relative to the unfamiliar melody revealed increased significant activations in only three regions. Activity began in the left primary auditory cortex and the superior temporal gyrus and was followed by enhanced activity in the right precentral gyrus. These data suggest that familiar music is associated with auditory–motor coupling but does not activate brain areas involved in emotional processing in DS. These findings reveal new insights on the neural basis of music perception in DS as well as the temporal course of neural activity in control adults.     

Abortion and Mental Health

Abstract

Unwanted pregnancy and abortion are common life events, and therapists are likely to work with clients who experience them. Legal abortion currently entails little physical or mental health risk; most women currently cope effectively with these life events without need of clinical intervention. But current abortion politics include efforts to make abortion a more threatening, stressful, and stigmatized experience and to create a “postabortion syndrome.” Using a stress and coping framework, we examine how antiabortion activists spread myths and misinformation aimed at women's appraisal processes, and discuss approaches therapists can use to enhance women's strategies for coping with abortion. We also discuss specific issues and useful techniques for counseling about abortion concerns, including cultural sensitivity and strategies for promoting positive sexual health.     

糖皮质激素联合中医温阳法治疗原发性肾病综合征系统评价

系统评价糖皮质激素联合温阳法治疗原发性肾病综合征的效果.检索PubMed、Cochrane Library、CNKI、CBM、万方、维普,查找糖皮质激素联合温阳法与单用糖皮质激素比较,治疗原发性肾病综合征的随机对照试验（RCTs）.按照Cochrane手册5.1.0,采用RevMan5.2.0软件进行Meta分析.最终纳入4个RCTs,共272例患者.经Meta分析,糖皮质激素联合温阳法可能在升高血浆白蛋白,降低24h尿蛋白定量、降血脂、改善血液流变学,提高临床疗效等方面有积极作用.但对减少激素副作用、降低疾病复发率缺乏证据.     

关于口腔科临床误诊病例的深层次原因分析

口腔疾病有时表现并不典型,需要医生拥有强烈的责任心,对患者详细问诊和检查,方能得出正确结论,避免误诊给患者带来身心痛苦。笔者在以下几个方面对误诊原因进行了深层次的分析：（1）医生缺乏批判性思维;（2）医生的人文关怀精神不够;（3）医生对医患沟通重视不够;（4）专科医生往往思路狭隘。通过对3例临床误诊患者就医过程的介绍和分析,再一次提醒广大口腔医务工作者,在临床工作中要重视详细问诊,仔细查体,不断拓展临床其他学科知识,避免思路狭隘和惯性思维。     

睡眠呼吸暂停综合征与肺高血压

肺高血压是一类以肺血管阻力进行性升高为主要特征,并最终导致右心衰竭甚至死亡的恶性心血管疾病.多种疾病可导致肺高血压,其中第三大类肺高血压与肺部疾病及缺氧有关.已有许多研究得出结论睡眠呼吸暂停综合征是肺高血压的高危因素,但具体发病机制不详.本文目的是结合国外文献阐述睡眠呼吸暂停综合征致肺高血压的发病机制及干预睡眠呼吸暂停综合征对肺动脉高压的影响.     

The effects of emotional content on source monitoring in fibromyalgia patients

Source confusion refers to a person’s failure to distinguish whether an event has been actually seen or simply imagined. Nevertheless, prior research has demonstrated a reduction of source confusion for negative arousing information. According to the emotional-congruence effect, this emotional benefit is likely observed in patients suffering from chronic pain. This hypothesis was tested on 15 patients suffering of fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) and 15 healthy women. In a source-monitoring task, participants had to decide whether positive, negative, and neutral words were imagined or seen with a picture. The results showed recognition deficits and more source confusion for FMS patients compared to controls. Contrary to the hypothesis of negativity bias in fibromyalgia, patients exhibited enhanced recognition for both positive and negative words. Moreover, they showed better source memory for the imagined items than for those seen with a picture. Overall, these results indicate that FMS affects episodic memory.     

Psychosocial correlates of immune status and disease progression in HIV-1 infected homosexual men: Review of preliminary findings,and commentary

Abstract

Behavioral factors may have an effect on the course of infection in HIV-1 infected individuals. These effects can be mediated by the immune system of the host, which, based on psychoneuroimmunologic findings, can be affected by some psychosocial factors. We present a short review of some putative psychoneuroimmunologic pathways and their possible implications for HIV-1 infected individuals. We next summarize the findings of recent psychoimmunological work with HIV-1 seropositives and discuss the methodological problems in studying the psychoneuroimmunologic aspects of HIV-1 infection. Psychoneuroimmunologic research in HIV-1 seropositives is a rapidly developing field, yielding contradictory findings so far, but which in the long run could provide important knowledge for psychoimmunologic interventions, targeted at improving or preserving immune status and retarding disease progression, as well as optimizing psychosocial functioning.