August 2017 - Page 4 of 30 - searchfortruth.info

Overview of Current Approaches To the Evaluation and Management Of Male Infertility

February 14, 2019August 27, 2017 by admin

Infertility is clinically defined as the inability of a couple to achieve conception after one year of regular, unprotected intercourse. It is currently believed that male factors contribute to 40% to 60% of infertility cases (Schlegel, 2009). This article seeks to provide an overview of the evaluation and management of male factor infertility. There are many different possible etiologies of impaired fertility in men, and because treatment efforts must be closely tailored to individual presentations, it is important to conduct a thorough initial evaluation of each case, which typically involves a focused history, physical examination, and laboratory testing. A thorough history can provide many useful insights into possible causes of a patient’s infertility. In obtaining a detailed sexual and fertility history, it is important to assess how long the couple has been trying to conceive, frequency of intercourse, and any previous fertility of either partner,...

Posttraumatic Retrograde and Anterograde Amnesia: Pathophysiology and Implications in Grading and Safe Return to Play

December 17, 2018August 26, 2017 by admin

Abstract

Objective:

The presence of posttraumatic amnesia (PTA) and loss of consciousness have been main factors used in a number of concussion guidelines. In this article, the focus is on using PTA (both retrograde and anterograde) as salient indicators of traumatic brain injury severity and the most reliable index of outcome prediction, even in mild cases.

Data Sources:

A MEDLINE search for the years 1990–2000 using the key words posttraumatic retrograde and anterograde amnesia, concussion and mild traumatic brain injury was done.

Data Synthesis:

On-the-field testing of PTA is a salient and integral component of the initial and follow-up neurologic assessments of the head-injured athlete.

Conclusions/Recommendations:

Initial and follow-up assessments of PTA, anterograde and retrograde, are an essential part of the neurologic evaluation of the head-injured athlete. Increasingly, neuropsychological testing, including computer models, is being employed in this assessment. The importance of not just PTA but all postconcussion signs and...

Side Effects of α-Blocker Use: Retrograde Ejaculation

December 17, 2018August 26, 2017 by admin

Abstract

There are currently 5 α-blockers that are approved by the US Food and Drug Administration to treat lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). The American Urological Association guidelines committee believes that all α-blockers are equally effective. However, α-blockers differ in their likelihood of causing abnormal ejaculation. This article discusses the effects on ejaculatory function, and specifically retrograde ejaculation, of the currently available α-blockers being used to treat men with LUTS due to benign prostatic hyperplasia.

In the 1980s, the recognition by Lepor and colleagues that prostatic smooth muscle tension was mediated by α1-adrenoceptors led to the development of α-blockade as a treatment of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS).1 This dynamic component of prostatic obstruction accounts for approximately 40% of outflow obstruction due to benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).2 There are currently 5 α-blockers that are US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved to treat LUTS: doxazosin, terazosin, tamsulosin, alfuzosin, and silodosin. The American Urological Association...

Drug-Induced Homicide Laws: A Misguided Response to Overdose Deaths

February 15, 2019August 26, 2017 by admin

Background

Overdose death rates in the United States have more than doubled over the past decade, surpassing motor vehicle accidents as the leading cause of injury-related death in the country.1 According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 47,055 people – an average of 128 people a day – died from drug overdoses in 2014.2 More than 18,000 overdose deaths in 2014 involved prescription opioids, such as hydrocodone (Vicodin™) and oxycodone (OxyContin™), while an additional 10,000 fatalities were attributed to heroin.3 Synthetic opioids, such as fentanyl, claimed nearly 5,550 lives.4 Policymakers are understandably alarmed at the overdose crisis with which they are now confronted. The public is calling for help and solutions. Elected officials unfamiliar with, or resistant to, harm reduction, prevention, and treatment interventions, however, are introducing punitive, counter-productive legislative measures in a misguided effort to reduce overdose fatalities. In particular, some states, including New...

Huntington Disease; HD

December 17, 2018August 26, 2017 by admin

▼ TEXT A number sign (#) is used with this entry because Huntington disease (HD) is caused by a heterozygous expanded trinucleotide repeat (CAG)n, encoding glutamine, in the gene encoding huntingtin (HTT; 613004) on chromosome 4p16.

In normal individuals, the range of repeat numbers is 9 to 36. In those with HD, the repeat number is above 37 (Duyao et al., 1993).

▼ Description Huntington disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant progressive neurodegenerative disorder with a distinct phenotype characterized by chorea, dystonia, incoordination, cognitive decline, and behavioral difficulties. There is progressive, selective neural cell loss and atrophy in the caudate and putamen. Walker (2007) provided a detailed review of Huntington disease, including clinical features, population genetics, molecular biology, and animal models

Differences in the Characteristics of Intimate Femicides

December 17, 2018August 26, 2017 by admin

Abstract

The relationship between a victim and an offender is critical to understanding the context and dynamics of homicide. It is recognized that the causes and correlates of homicides within intimate relationships differ from the causes and correlates of homicides by strangers. Systematic research has seldom examined, however, differences in the nature of intimate violence, particularly lethal violence, among intimate relationships that vary in the degree of intimacy and level of commitment. Such an examination is important, not only for understanding the phenomenon of intimate femicide, but also for explaining variations in the reactions to such acts. Using relationship state and relationship status to differentiate among various degrees of intimacy and commitment, we show that the characteristics of the people involved in intimate femicides as well as the circumstances surrounding the killing do differ by relationship type....

10 Things Law Enforcement Executives Can Do To Positively Impact Homicide Investigation Outcomes

February 13, 2019August 26, 2017 by admin

Homicides are challenging events for communities and they are often complex from an investigative standpoint. Although the crime may be clear-cut, the multifaceted issues surrounding it (public perception of safety and police effectiveness, witness cooperation, media and political pressures, etc.) can be daunting to a police agency and, in particular, the executive. Careers are often made or broken by a chief’s response to and management of homicides. One of the standard benchmarks of police effectiveness is the homicide closure rate, which is a critically important figure that demands attention at the highest level of law enforcement leadership. However, focusing on the homicide closure rate alone can offer a limited perspective on public safety and police performance overall. In this report, executives are encouraged to consider additional activities and measures to supplement the closure rate in evaluating and improving performance in a homicide unit. Further, this shift should be made with...

Multiple Murder And Criminal Careers: A Latent Class Analysis Of Multiple Homicide Offenders

February 18, 2019August 26, 2017 by admin

1. Introduction

Criminology abounds with typologies that seek to describe relatively homogeneous groupings of criminals. Admittedly, these classification systems face a difficult task because offenders tend to commit versatile forms of antisocial behavior that do not fit exclusively into discrete groups [1,2]. This issue is particularly pronounced in homicide studies, which often contain variably defined groups including serial killers, mass murderers, spree killers, lust murderers, murderesses, organized killers, disorganized killers, and the like. To illustrate, Hickey [3, p. 225] observed that, ‘‘depending on the authority one chooses to read, one will find between two and eleven different types of murderers. Some typologies of murder are descriptions of causation, whereas others are diagnostic in nature.’’ There are other potential limitations to typologies of homicide offenders. First, the typology is dependent on the researcher’s purpose in creating it—whether for academic publishing or applied...

Sleep Architecture In Homicidal Women With Antisocial Personality Disorder—a Preliminary Study

December 17, 2018August 26, 2017 by admin

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to characterize sleep in severely violent women with antisocial personality disorder (ASP) as the primary diagnosis. Participants for this preliminary study were three drug-free female offenders ordered to undergo a forensic mental examination in a maximum security state mental hospital after committing homicide or attempted homicide. Ten healthy age- and gender-matched controls PSconsisted of hospital staff with no history of physical violence. The most striking finding was the increased amount of slow wave sleep, particularly the deepest sleep stage, S4, in women with ASP. This finding is in agreement with previously reported results in habitually violent male criminals with ASP. Severe female aggression seems to be associated with profound changes in sleep architecture. Whether this reflects specific brain pathology, or a delay in the normal development of sleep patterns in the course of aging, needs to be clarified. From the perspective of sleep research,...

Predictors of Interracial Homicide Victimization for Asian Americans: A Macrostructural Opportunity Perspective

December 18, 2018August 26, 2017 by admin

Abstract

This paper uses Blau's macrostructural opportunity theory to explore patterns of interracial homicide victimization among Asian Americans. Data are drawn from the F.B.I.'s Supplementary Homicide Reports and aggregated for 131 SMSAs over the 1976-1984 period. Unlike previous research, two out-groups--white and black offenders--are considered to see if the same predictors behave similarly for the different out-groups. As expected, the descriptive data show that Asian Americans as a minority group have a greater conditional probability of being killed by out-group members than do whites and blacks. On the other hand, logistic regression analysis reveals that educational inequality and population size are significant predictors of the conditional probability of out-group victimization, while hypotheses concerning the effects of relative group size, income inequality, and residential segregation fail to be fully supported. We conclude with a discussion of possible reasons for the unexpected results and of important tasks for future research.

Studies On The Estimation Of The Postmortem Interval | Burned Bodies

December 17, 2018August 26, 2017 by admin

Abstract

The authors have investigated 15 kinds of findings of 30 bodies burned at known times and autopsied in our laboratory. The conclusions are as follows: As the criteria for determining the time of death, external findings of cadavers burned lose value considerably, but internal findings, especially undigested food in the stomach remain as valuable as in ordinary circumstances. The usual criteria can be applied with the same degree of success to burned bodies, because appearances of findings caused by cadaveric phenomena show neither acceleration nor retardation in bodies burned so far as they are not severely destroyed.

The Dracula Killer: A Psychobiographical Illustration Of The Schahriar Syndrome Model For Serial Murder

December 17, 2018August 26, 2017 by admin

Abstract

This psychobiographical study of Richard Trenton Chase (1950–1980), a serial murderer, has the aim to uncover the psychic mechanisms characteristic of his functioning. The study included primary and secondary data sources. All materials collected and analysed, were published and publically available. The Schahriar syndrome model served as the conceptual framework for data framing and interpretation. Findings suggest that Chase exhibited five primitive psychic mechanisms namely: omnipotence, sadistic fantasies, ritualised performance, dehumanisation and symbiotic merger. The Schahriar syndrome model has utility to explain the psychological functioning of a serial murderer...

Symbiotic Acquisitions: The Drawbacks of a Rational Approach

February 13, 2019August 26, 2017 by Cyril

Despite their popularity, acquisitions have proved disappointing. The reason for this is that economic analyses have prevailed over the managerial dimension of the acquisitions. Although there is currently some agreement about the importance of post-acquisition management, divergences remain as to what the guiding principles should be. Our work, based on the case study method, tests the relevance of competing propositions when the acquiring firm adopts a symbiotic type of insertion policy. The proposition that a rational approach is unsuitable for managing symbiotic acquisitions is corroborated. This result can be explained by the nature of symbiosis policies, which are aimed at developing innovative practices and/or product lines in a cooperative framework. In the cases observed, such joint innovation has an emerging character which is inconsistent with a rational approach.

Although situations differ from one industry and one country to another, it is possible to distinguish several waves of acquisitions during the...

The Nature And Dynamics Of Sexual Homicide: An Integrative Review

December 17, 2018August 26, 2017 by admin

Abstract

The author reviews the definitions, epidemiology, evolving research, offender, and offense characteristics of sexual homicide, a form of intentional killing that occurs in less than 1% of homicides in the United States. Although the extant research is limited by very few comparative studies, repetitive use of small, nonrandom samples, retrospective data, no prospective studies, and the absence of any predictive statistical analyses, the yield over the past 100 years is impressive. The author advances a clinical typology of sexual murderers. The first group of compulsive sexual murderers leaves behind organized crime scenes and are usually diagnosed with sexual sadism and antisocial/narcissistic personality disorders. They are chronically emotionally detached, often primary psychopaths, are autonomically hyporeactive, and the majority experience no early trauma. The second group of catathymic sexual murderers leave behind disorganized crime scenes and are usually diagnosed with a mood...

Serial Killers: Offender’s Relationship to the Victim and Selected Demographics

December 17, 2018August 26, 2017 by admin

Abstract: The conventional thought among law enforcement members, academic researchers, and profilers is that serial killers are generally White males in their 20’s or 30’s who are of above average intelligence and primarily kill strangers within their own race. The current study attempts to validate these hypotheses through an examination of 21 serial killers and their 97 victims. The cases were drawn from 15 jurisdictions and all cases have been closed by arrest and finalized through court processes. Data were drawn from police offense reports; investigative reports; crime scene photographs; videos and maps; transcripts of interviews with witnesses, surviving victims, relatives, and offenders; physical evidence examination reports; laboratory and forensic analysis reports; autopsy reports; criminal and prison records; and psychological profiles and psychiatric evaluations. The analysis indicated that although the conventional thought on serial killers generally holds true, there is more diversity among serial killers than had been previously believed...

Researching Serial Murder: Methodologial and Definitional Problems

October 13, 2018August 26, 2017 by admin

Abstract

This paper examines issues related to the definition and study of serial murder. It examines definitional issues such as the notion that serialists are male, the notion that the killings are not for profit, the claim that the killers and the victims are strangers, and the conception of the victims as powerless. It examines methodological issues such as problems with both quantitative and qualitative data, and the creation of serial killer typologies. The paper argues that reliance upon narrow definitions, questionable data gathering, and the creation of typologies based on these definitions and data distort the analysis of serial murder and serial murderers. Suggestions are made for improving the scholarly study of serial murder

The image of Jack the Ripper has captured the popular imagination for more than a century. His exploits have been the focus of innumerable films, television shows, books and newspaper features.... .