The aim of the multicentre study* entitled`Description and Documentation of Painful States in Spinal Cord Injury Patients', in addition to the description and documentation of chronic pain and stressful dysaesthesiae in SCI patients, was the search for correlations between these symptoms and medical and psychosocial variables. To this end, the sample was selected to be as representative as possible. All patients referred for in-patient or out-patient treatment at the centres taking part were enrolled in the study in order of presentation, providing they gave consent and met the inclusion criteria. Psychosocial, medical and demographic data were elicited by a standardized battery of questions and a standardized physical examination, as were any chronic pain/dysaesthesiae (P/D) present in any localization. Among 901 patients, 34% had no chronic pain or dysaesthesiae, 50% had pain only, 11% had painful dysaesthesiae and 5%, non-painful but chronic and distressing dysaesthesiae. The intensity of P/D was noted as seven or more on a 10 cm visual analogue scale by 61% of the patients a ected and was experienced as rather or very distressing in 75% of cases. Most (86%) P/D were located below the spinal lesion or in the transition zone. There were signi®cant correlations between the presence of P/D and age on questioning and at onset of the paraplegia/tetraplegia, problems with rectal paralysis, expectations of life as a paraplegic/tetraplegic, and subjective assessment of changes in working life. Highly signi®cant correlations were found with subjective distress resulting of paraplegia/tetraplegia as such, depressed mood and psychosomatic disturbances of wellbeing. Overall, among the selected variables of our study, we found that correlations between P/D and psychosocial variables were more frequent and closer than those between P/D and medical variables.
Interorganizational and cross‐cultural comparisons are made among different types of prisons located in five countries‐the United States, Mexico, England, West Germany, and Spain‐as a test of the relative importance of functional and importation variables in prisonization. A normative orientation among inmates which is in opposition to staff expectations is found in all prisons in all countries. Adherence to this orientation by individual inmates is most prevalent among American inmates and last among Mexican inmates. The functional theory of the inmate system receives more support than the importation theory with regard to the general orientation to the institution and its programs and to attitudes toward and interaction with staff; but the two models do about equally well in accounting for the extent to which prisoners adopt the inmate code. Theoretical and policy implications of the study are discussed.
Optimal conditions for radioiodinating of MBP by the chloramine T method are described. Adsorption on CM cellulose was found to be the best way to separate 125T-MBP from inorganic iodine. Iodination and purification can be performed in less than 30 min. The iodinated MBP was used for radioimmunological determination of antibodies against MBP and of MBP itself. The immunoreactivity of iodinated MBP was independent of the extent of iodination, by which an upper level of 8 radio iodine atoms/molecule could be reached. Therefore, it is possible to develop a radioimmunoassay of high sensitivity. The optimal conditions for formation of the antibody-MBP complex were investigated. The complex was isolated using gel filtration on Sephadex or dextran-coated charcoal. Both gave the same results, but the charcoal procedure is far more rapid. Antibody titration curves and MBP standard curves were performed. Bovine and human MBP, which differ from each other in molecular weight and amino acid sequence, were shown to give a complete cross-reaction with antibodies against human MBP. In a preliminary study in sera cerebrospinal fluids of patients with multiple sclerosis humural antibodies to human MBP could not be detected, whereas in serum of a patient with a second cerebrovascular accident MBP antibodies were found.
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