Echinococcus granulosus in the wolf in Italy.

During the period 1987-1999, 119 wolf cadavers were examined and checked for the presence of Echinococcus granulosus. All the animals were retrieved along the whole Apennines range of distribution of the species in Italy and most of them were illegally killed. Eighteen wolves resulted positive (15%). The mean intensity was 697.5. The force of infection for prevalence was 8.2 year(-1). The prevalence of the parasite was significantly and positively influenced by the local prevalence of cystic echinococcosis (CE) in sheep. Mean intensity was significantly and positively influenced by both the age of the wolf and the prevalence of CE in sheep. A deterministic model was used in order to simulate a purely theoretical sylvatic cycle of the parasites having the wolf as the only definitive host with 15% of prevalence. The expected prevalence of CE in wild intermediate species ranges between 10% and 25%. This prevalence overlaps the one observed in sheep. Even if both the wolf and the wild ungulate populations are increasing, the wolf still acts as a part of the main dog-sheep cycle of the parasite.

Evaluation of the Adolescent Drug Abuse Diagnosis instrument in a Swiss sample of drug abusers.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate a French language version of the Adolescent Drug Abuse Diagnosis (ADAD) instrument in a Swiss sample of adolescent illicit drug and/or alcohol users. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: The participants in the study were 102 French-speaking adolescents aged 13-19 years who fitted the criteria of illicit drug or alcohol use (at least one substance--except tobacco--once a week during the last 3 months). They were recruited in hospitals, institutions and leisure places. Procedure. The ADAD was administered individually by trained psychologists. It was integrated into a broader protocol including alcohol and drug abuse DSM-IV diagnoses, the BDI-13 (Beck Depression Inventory), life events and treatment trajectories. RESULTS: The ADAD appears to show good inter-rater reliability; the subscales showed good internal coherence and the correlations between the composite scores and the severity ratings were moderate to high. Finally, the results confirmed good concurrent validity for three out of eight ADAD dimensions. CONCLUSIONS: The French language version of the ADAD appears to be an adequate instrument for assessing drug use and associated problems in adolescents. Despite its complexity, the instrument has acceptable validity, reliability and usefulness criteria, enabling international and transcultural comparisons.

Self-esteem and mental health in early adolescence: development and gender differences

A longitudinal study of a general population (n=219; M age: 12, 13 and 14), was carried out between 1990 and 1993 over 3 years in Lausanne (Switzerland). Several questionnaires, validated in French, were used: Perceived Competence Scale, Social Support Appraisal and a questionnaire on mental health developed in our research Unit. We attempted to answer the following questions: Is there a global change in self-esteem during early adolescence? If so, does the way in which the young person perceives himself vary according to the social and relational environment? What are the differences between boys and girls in the development of self-esteem? What is the relation between self-esteem and mental health?As to the specific differences according to gender, results show that girls tend to have a poorer self-esteem than boys, whatever the domains taken into consideration. Differences are more significant with reference to appearance and athletic performance. As far as the development of self-esteem is concerned, there is no major change, notably when considering global perception. Results of a factor analysis underscore the fact that girls' self-esteem is more global and less differentiated by domain while boys separate the scholastic and behavioral part of their experience from the social. Global self-esteem has more influence on the level of depressive mood in girls than in boys.

[Assessment of the effects of age at start of puberty on mental health in pre-adolescence: results of a longitudinal study (1989-1991)]. / La mesure des effets du temps d'apparition de la puberté sur la santé psychique à la pré-adolescence: résultats d'une étude longitudinale (1989-1991).

The transition from childhood to adolescence is widely believed to be a stressful period in which the child faces multiple changes: physical changes, school choices, development of new social roles, and changes in the relation with his or her parents and friends. We investigated the effects of the timing of puberty on mental health, studied in a population of 219 young adolescents who were followed during three years (mean age at the beginning of the study was 12.5 years). The changes in the perception of the individual's body associated with puberty depended on the child's gender. Significant events during puberty had a negative effect on mental health. Although puberty remains a critical period of temporary unstable and fragile transition, most of the young adolescents coped relatively well with the physiological, psychological and social changes they faced.

Pharmacokinetics of benzydamine in dairy cows following intravenous or intramuscular administration.

Five lactating cows were given benzydamine hydrochloride by rapid intravenous (0.45 mg/kg) and by intramuscular (0.45 and 1.2 mg/kg) injection in a crossover design. The bioavailability, pharmacokinetic parameters and excretion in milk of benzydamine were evaluated. After intravenous administration, the disposition kinetics of benzydamine was best described using a two-compartment open model. Drug disposition and elimination were fast (t1/2 alpha: 11.13 +/- 3.76 min; t1/2 beta: 71.98 +/- 24.75 min; MRT 70.69 +/- 11.97 min). Benzydamine was widely distributed in the body fluids and tissues (Vd(area): 3.549 +/- 1.301 L/kg) and characterized by a high value for body clearance (33.00 +/- 5.54 ml/kg per min). After intramuscular administration the serum concentration-time curves fitted a one-compartment open model. Following a dose of 0.45 mg/kg, the Cmax value was 38.13 +/- 4.2 ng/ml at a tmax of 67.13 +/- 4.00 min; MAT and MRT were 207.33 +/- 22.64 min and 278.01 +/- 12.22 min, respectively. Benzydamine bioavailability was very high (92.07% +/- 7.08%). An increased intramuscular dose (1.2 mg/kg) resulted in longer serum persistence (MRT 420.34 +/- 86.39 min) of the drug, which was also detectable in milk samples collected from both the first and second milking after treatment.

From the child to the young adult: sex differences in the antecedents of psychological problems. A retrospective study over ten years.

Three hundred children chosen at random from the general population were examined at 9 years of age and seen again at 20. The results of the study emphasize the discontinuity of psychological problems between childhood and adulthood: serious difficulties in psychological functioning at age 9 do not predict disturbances at 20, but psychological disturbances at 20 may originate in adolescence. The overrepresentation, at age 9, of boys at risk disappears at 20, at which point there is a slightly higher proportion of women amongst the "cases". The factors which influence the mental health of girls and boys are analysed and discussed.

The validity of the French version of the GHQ-28 and PSYDIS in a community sample of 20 year olds in Switzerland.

The 28-item GHQ (General Health Questionnaire) and the 43-item PSYDIS (Psychic Distress) were translated into French and administered to a community sample of 233 young adults. Of the two tests, the GHQ was shown to have the better correlation with the clinical assessment. For PSYDIS, specificity was 72.8, sensitivity was 64.2, but the misclassification rate rose to 29.2. The GHQ misclassified 18.5% of the respondents at the best cut-off point (5/6), with a specificity of 91.1 and a sensitivity of 49.1. The corrections C-GHQ (Goodchild and Duncan-Jones method of scoring) and simple Likert scoring improved sensitivity, although this was still unsatisfactory with males. Considering the lability of troubles in a young population, the GHQ should be applied with caution for epidemiological purposes.

Mentally retarded adolescents: evaluation of communication strategies in different settings.

The present project aims to evaluate communication strategies used by mentally retarded adolescents in different types of verbal interaction. The study was carried out on 17 subjects and notably shows that their language content is mostly informative and that the control of conversation varies according to the interlocutor's status. Moreover, the global developmental age of the subjects appears to be a significant factor in the use of communication strategies. This could have pedagogical implications.