Cerebral venous thrombosis in children an 18-year review of a Portuguese hospital.

INTRODUCTION: Cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) is an uncommon and clinically heterogeneous cerebrovascular particularly in children, only a few published case series focused in the pediatric population. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Retrospective single-center observational and analytical study of consecutive pediatric patients admitted in a level II Portuguese hospital with a confirmed diagnosis of CVT, from 2003 to 2021. Clinical presentation, neuroimaging findings, prothrombotic factors, treatment strategies, outcome and recanalization were documented. RESULTS: Twelve children were included (58% female). Mean age was 7.3 years. The most frequent symptoms were vomiting, headache and behavioral alterations. Infection was the triggering factor in 50% of the cases. The diagnosis of CVT was made based on imaging evidence of thrombosis through magnetic imaging resonance (MRI) with venography and/or computed tomography (CT) with venography. In 67% of cases there were multiples sinuses involved; the transverse sinus was the most affected, followed by the sigmoid sinus. In 83% of cases anticoagulant therapy was initiated with low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) and associated prothrombotic factors were investigated, with no major prothrombotic factors identified. No deaths occurred, but 30% had long-term neurological sequelae. One patient recurred 18 years later. CONCLUSION: The results of this study are consistent with data from other published studies. MRI is the preferred imaging method for diagnosis in children by avoiding ionizing radiation and allowing identification of subjacent causes. Anticoagulation with LMWH is recommended and important to reduce mortality and sequelae. Infectious diseases are the most common trigger for CVT and can also be the cause for high morbidity and poor outcomes.

The Neutrons for Science Facility at SPIRAL-2.

The neutrons for science (NFS) facility is a component of SPIRAL-2, the new superconducting linear accelerator built at GANIL in Caen (France). The proton and deuteron beams delivered by the accelerator will allow producing intense neutron fields in the 100 keV-40 MeV energy range. Continuous and quasi-mono-kinetic energy spectra, respectively, will be available at NFS, produced by the interaction of a deuteron beam on a thick Be converter and by the 7Li(p,n) reaction on thin converter. The pulsed neutron beam, with a flux up to two orders of magnitude higher than those of other existing time-of-flight facilities, will open new opportunities of experiments in fundamental research as well as in nuclear data measurements. In addition to the neutron beam, irradiation stations for neutron-, proton- and deuteron-induced reactions will be available for cross-sections measurements and for the irradiation of electronic devices or biological cells. NFS, whose first experiment is foreseen in 2018, will be a very powerful tool for physics, fundamental research as well as applications like the transmutation of nuclear waste, design of future fission and fusion reactors, nuclear medicine or test and development of new detectors.

Irradiation tests of ITER candidate Hall sensors using two types of neutron spectra.

We report on irradiation tests of InSb based Hall sensors at two irradiation facilities with two distinct types of neutron spectra. One was a fission reactor neutron spectrum with a significant presence of thermal neutrons, while another one was purely fast neutron field. Total neutron fluence of the order of 10(16) cm(-2) was accumulated in both cases, leading to significant drop of Hall sensor sensitivity in case of fission reactor spectrum, while stable performance was observed at purely fast neutron spectrum. This finding suggests that performance of this particular type of Hall sensors is governed dominantly by transmutation. Additionally, it further stresses the need to test ITER candidate Hall sensors under neutron flux with ITER relevant spectrum.

The drug-use situation in the Czech Republic.

This article reports on a rapid assessment conducted in the Czech Republic during the second half of 1995. The main aim of the assessment was to describe patterns of illicit drug use, particularly in the capital, Prague. A Rapid Assessment Board was established to oversee the study, and both secondary and original data were collected from a range of sources. Illicit drug use was found to have increased throughout the country in the preceding five years, with amphetamines being the most popular substance. Polydrug use is common. There has been an increase in the use of the so-called "dance drugs", especially lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), among younger people, and heroin, especially in the main urban areas. Injecting is on the increase, too. There is an urgent need to expand both fixed-site and community-based services.

Is the "Women's Movement" Erasing the Mark of Oppression from the Female Psyche.

Failures to replicate the Goldberg "female bias against females" effect led to the hypothesis that the "women's movement" has caused women to give lip service to equality. To test this hypothesis 42 American female college student Ss were asked to rate the capability of women and men to perform in various common professions. There were three conditions: bogus pipeline (BP), bogus pipeline control (RR), and questionnaire (Q). Equal or profemale ratings were expected in Q, profemale ratings in RR, and antifemale ratings in BP, because the expression of public (fashionable) attitudes was assumed appropriate in Q, but the expression of private attitudes was assumed appropriate in BP. Results indicated profemale bias in Q, but no sex bias in BP and RR. It was suggested that possible salutary effects of the women's movement are overestimated by typical questionnaire procedures.