[Type 2 Streptococcus suis (R-Streptococci) as pathogens of occupational diseases. Report of a case and a review of the literature]. / Streptococcus suis Typ 2 (R-Streptokokken) als Erreger von Berufskrankheiten. Bericht über eine Erkrankung und Literaturübersicht.

Report on the second human case of a Streptococcus suis type 2 (group R streptococci) infection in the GDR. The patient, a 33-year-old butcher, fell ill with an acute meningitis and an initial myocarditis. Group R streptococci were isolated from cerebrospinal fluid and blood. The patient was treated with penicillin G, ampicillin and gentamicin, followed by trimethoprim-sulfamerazine. Both, meningitis and myocarditis disappeared and the patient recovered completely. The disease was recognized as an occupational disease. Review of the literature. Since 1968 108 cases of human S.suis type 2 infections were described, mostly as meningitis. In most of the cases a close contact to pigs could be confirmed.

Intoxicated and bad drivers: subgroups within the same population of high-risk men drivers.

Three groups of men drivers in the state of Washington were compared: those who had been arrested for driving while intoxicated (DWI group, N = 172), those who had received multiple nonalcohol-related violations or who had been involved in traffic accidents (high-risk drivers, or HRD group, N = 193) and a representative random sample of the general driving population of men in the state (GDP group, N = 154). Subjects completed a questionnaire assessing demographic, drinking, driving attitude, personality and hostility measures. The HRD and DWI groups were generally more deviant than the GDP subjects. The latter individuals were demographically more stable, had lower levels of drinking behavior and were more emotionally stable, with lower levels of depression, sensation seeking, external perception of control, and both overt and covert hostility. The GDP group also had lower levels of driving-related hostility. The HRD and DWI groups did not suffer significantly from each other on any of the measures of personality function or hostility. These two groups did differ on aspects of drinking behavior, driving-related attitudes and demographic characteristics. The noted similarities between the DWI and HRD groups are consistent with the contention that these two groups may represent subtypes within a larger population of high-risk drivers.

An objective method for the assessment of psychological and social problems among epileptics.

Numerous investigators have identified psychological and social problems among epileptics and in many instances, these appear to be more debilitating than the seizures themselves. However, assessment of these problems has most frequently been done by subjective means and when objective tests have been used, they were almost always developed for and standardized on populations other than epileptics. The development of the Washington Psychosocial Seizure Inventory (WPSI) is presented in this paper. After pilot work, 127 adult epileptics were evaluated for psychosocial problems and they completed the 132-item Inventory. Professional assessment of difficulties was made with respect to family background, emotional adjustment, interpersonal adjustment, vocational adjustment, financial status, adjustment to seizures, and medical management. Finally, an assessment of overall psychosocial functioning was made. Through an item-by-item correlation technique, scales were empirically developed for each of these areas and a profile was produced which gives both the absolute and the relative extents of difficulties for each patient with respect to each area. Potential applications for the WPSI are presented.

[The degree of contamination with HBs-antigen (Australia antigen) in insulin using diabetics]. / Studie über den Durchseuchungsgrad mit HBs-Antigen (Australia-Antigen) bei insulinspritzenden Diabetikern.

In 105 patients injecting themselves insulin of the diabetes department of the municipal hospital Dresden-Neustadt with an average age of 63.3 years the HBs-antigen was determined for the purpose of testing the degree of contamination. Hereby in no patient positive accidental findings were established. Two patients, in whom the HBs-antigen could be proved, revealed an acute symptomatology on the side of the liver disease at the time of the confirmation of the findings.

Group embedded figures test performance as a predictor of cognitive impairment among alcoholics.

The present study investigated the sensitivity of the Group Embedded Figures Test (GEFT) as a predictor of cognitive impairment among alcoholics. The GEFT, Shipley-Hartford, and Memory-for-Designs tests were administered to 90 male alcoholics. GEFT performance correlated significantly with measures of impairment even when the influence of age and education were controlled. Field-dependent Ss performed at a significantly more impaired level on measures of abstract reasoning, perceptual-motor function, and short-term visual-spatial memory when compared with intermediate and field independent Ss; no differences were found among groups on general verbal ability. The results suggest that the GEFT might profitably be included in screening batteries for impaired cognitive function.