Mood changes across time were evaluated as they applied to the process of volunteer blood donation. Measures of mood (from the Mood Adjective Check List) were taken before and at three different intervals after blood donations by 245 college students. Anxiety scores were significantly higher before blood donation, and elation scores showed a significant increase following donation. Veteran donors experienced significantly less discomfort before donation. These findings imply that blood donations can be viewed as an "opponent-affective process," in which initial, mildly aversive feelings lead to positive aftereffects. Current findings suggest that blood donation can be explained, in part, by a self-serving, addictive process.

Background: Sarcopenia, the loss of muscle mass and strength, is associated with adverse health outcomes. Calf circumference (CC) has been proposed as a surrogate measure of muscle mass in the elderly; however, ethnic/sex specific cut-off values remain to be established. Objective: A study was undertaken to investigate the relationship between CC and appendicular skeletal muscle mass (ASM), and the ASM index (ASMI), as well as to determine whether CC could be used to diagnose sarcopenia. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of 247 older black women living from Tlokwe, South Africa. ASM was measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, and the ASMI was calculated. Receiver operator characteristics curves and maximum Youden index were applied to identify a CC cut-off point for sarcopenia according to low gait speed (< 0.8 m/s), low hand-grip strength (< 16 kg) and low ASMI using a South African cut-off point for sarcopenia (ASMI < 4.94 kg/m 2 ). Results: A strong positive correlation between CC and ASMI (r = 0.84, p < 0.001) was observed. The CC to predict low hand-grip strength was 34.3 cm and 37.8 cm for low gait speed. A CC of 29.9 cm was indicative of sarcopenia. The area under the curve for all outcomes was > 0.60. Conclusion: A CC of 30 cm is proposed as a simple and inexpensive way to predict, screen or diagnose sarcopenia in black women in low-resource health settings. An accessible, inexpensive screening or diagnostic tool could facilitate timely interventions and prevention.

Postoperative pain after total hip arthroplasty can be caused by several conditions. We describe two cases of postoperative persistent iliopsoas impingement after cementless implantation of the acetabular component. The groin pain was relieved after revision with a more anteverted acetabular component. We describe the diagnostic methods as well as the principles of the revision.

Der praktisch tätige Arzt befindet sich bei der Differenzierung der zweifellos häufiger werdenden Thoraxschmerzen immer noch in einer sehr mißlichen Lage. Er soll die zahlreichen Möglichkeiten extrakardialer Thoraxschmerzen berücksichtigen und darf die Angina pectoris, auch wenn sie atypisch verläuft, nicht verkennen. Mindestens ebenso wichtig aber ist, daß er seine Patienten durch die fälschliche Annahme einer Angina pectoris und entsprechende Behandlung nicht unnötig belastet. Es besteht weitgehende Einigkeit darüber, daß die Angina pectoris immer noch in erster Linie auf Grund der Anamnese und des körperlichen Untersuchungsbefundes diagnostiziert wird. Bestimmte elektrokardiographische Veränderungen können die Diagnose stützen, ein normales Elektrokardiogramm kann eine Koronarerkrankung nicht ausschließen (37). Aber die Ansichten darüber, was unter den Begriff Angina pectoris fällt, sind noch sehr geteilt. Während erfahrene Kliniker in Deutschland das Krankheitsbild Angina pectoris teilweise sehr umfassend sehen (12) und schon Reizbarkeit, unruhiger Schlaf, unbestimmte Sensationen in der Herzgegend oder auch Schweregefühl, Kälteempfindlichkeit im Bereich des linken Armes als signa minima" einer