[Occult peritonsillar abscess: an unusual cause of unilateral tonsillar enlargement].

Peritonsillar abscess is a suppurative infection of the tissues adjacent to the palatine tonsil and is regarded in otolarygologic practice as a complication of pharyngotonsillitis. The most common presentation is gradually increasing pain, fever, trismus, drooling and a muffled voice. Asymmetric tonsils are common in clinical practice. Differential diagnosis includes infectious, granulomatous, congenital and neoplastic lesions. This is a case study of two patients evaluated for unilateral tonsillar enlargement who were found to have a previously unexpected peritonsillar abscess at tonsillectomy. The patients had no other signs or symptoms of acute pharyngotonsillar or peritonsillar infection. To our knowledge, this is the first report of an occult peritonsillar infection causing unilateral tonsillar enlargement.

Mapping lateralization of click trains in younger and older populations.

The main purpose of this study was to describe and compare lateralization of earphone-presented stimuli in younger and older individuals. Lateralization functions, relating perceived location to either interaural time differences (ITDs) or interaural level differences (ILDs) were determined for 78 subjects, aged 21-88 years, who responded by pressing one of nine keys to indicate the perceived location of the stimulus. All subjects were healthy, without any history of hearing loss or ear surgery and within the normal pure tone audiometric range for their age group. Interaural pure tone and click thresholds did not differ by more than 5 dB across ears. The ILD lateralization functions, ranging from 10 dB favoring the left ear to 10 dB favoring the right ear were linear. In contrast, the ITD lateralization functions were S-shaped with a clear linear component ranging from 750 micros favoring one ear to 750 micros favoring the other ear and with an asymptote from 750 micros to 1 ms. The same general shape of the ITD and ILD lateralization functions was found at all ages, but the linear slope of the ITD lateralization function became shallower with age. The ability to discriminate midline-located click trains (ITD and ILD=0) from ITD-lateralized click trains deteriorated with age, while the comparable ability to discriminate ILD-lateralized click trains did not change significantly with age. The data support two general conclusions. First there seems to be an overall reduction in the range of ITD-based lateralization due to aging. Second, there is a greater reduction in sensitivity due to aging in changes from the perceived midline position (ITD and ILD=0) when ITD is manipulated than when ILD is manipulated.

[The effects of terrorist attacks on European Holocaust survivors compared to Greek Holocaust survivors].

This research aims to examine whether there are differences in the level of anxiety, the perception of danger, the reliance on security forces and signs of psychological distress during times of war between two groups of Holocaust survivors: Jews of Greece and Jews of Eastern and Western Europe, while assessing their psychological ability to cope with the wave of terrorism against the Israeli population. The Jews of Greece have been portrayed as being different, both by the Nazis and by Jews from other countries, as well as by the Greeks themselves. Their strength of spirit, encouraging them to rebel and resist, as well as their physical strength, were renowned in the concentration camps. Each of these traits has been supported by specific documentation in history books dealing with the Jews of Greece during the Holocaust. Fifty-eight years after the Holocaust and before it disappears from historical record, we scientifically examined the psychological or mental capacity of these people to withstand the wave of terrorism. The study included 33 European Jewish Holocaust survivors and 38 Greek Jewish Holocaust survivors. The subjects completed four questionnaires. The main results are: 1. The average level of anxiety among Greek Holocaust survivors is clearly lower than that of other Holocaust survivors--an average of 10.00 compared to 16.48 (t = 4.83, p < 0.001). 2. The average level of psychological distress during times of war among Greek Holocaust survivors is 2.10 compared to 2.65 among other Holocaust survivors (t = 4.24, p < 0.001). 3. The average level of trust in the security forces among Greek Holocaust survivors is 3.67 compared to 2.70 among the other Holocaust survivors (t = 4.354, p < 0.001). 4. The average level of perception of danger among Greek Holocaust survivors is 2.75 compared to 3.39 among other Holocaust survivors (t = 2.60, p < 0.01). 5. The readiness to emigrate from Israel is 1.02 among Greek Holocaust survivors compared to 2.09 among other Holocaust survivors (t = 4.06, p < 0.001). The findings of the research support the theory that the Greek Holocaust survivors statistically demonstrate clear and more substantial psychological or mental immunity as compared to European Holocaust survivors. The differences between Greek Holocaust survivors and other Holocaust survivors increase when applied to a subgroup of former concentration camp prisoners. In conclusion, Holocaust survivors do not constitute a homogeneous group which responds uniformly to traumatic events. They are not to be regarded as one unit, since they bear different social and cultural burdens, as well as the universal values which they absorbed in their countries of origin.

Serum CA125: a tumor marker for monitoring response to treatment and follow-up in patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

PURPOSE: Serum CA125 is an important prognostic factor in patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). Elevation of CA125 level correlates with advanced disease, poor response to treatment, and poor survival rates. The aim of the current study is to evaluate CA125 levels in patients with NHL and to investigate the correlations between high CA125 level and other presenting features. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-eight patients (14 with low-grade and 24 with aggressive histologically proven NHL) were studied prospectively. Serum CA125 assessment was done at diagnosis, during treatment, and at follow-up. The associations between CA125 levels and other presenting features were examined. RESULTS: CA125 levels were elevated in 43% of patients with low-grade NHL and in 46% of patients with aggressive NHL (i.e., 45% of all patients). A higher CA125 level was associated with advanced disease, bone marrow involvement, extranodal involvement, poor performance status, the presence of B symptoms, and high serum lactate dehydrogenase level. Complete responses occurred in 86% of patients with normal CA125 levels and in 59% of patients with elevated CA125 levels. In both low-grade and aggressive NHL, the estimated 5-year overall survival rate was higher in patients with normal CA125 levels than in patients with elevated CA125 levels (88% versus 50% and 70% versus 27%, respectively). CONCLUSION: High serum CA125 is an important prognostic factor in NHL and correlates with more advanced disease, low response rates, and worse survival. CA125 measurements may be used for staging, monitoring response to treatment, and follow-up of patients with NHL.