Botulinum A toxin for treatment of aberrant facial nerve regeneration

Twelve patients with involuntary synkinetic eyelid closure were given 40 injections of botulinum A toxin. Temporary improvement in involuntary eyelid closure was observed in all 12 patients. Eleven of the 12 patients desired repeated injections. Dose requirements for this indication were compared with doses used in 697 injections in 112 patients with essential blepharospasm and Meige syndrome. Additionally, dose comparisons were made with 269 injections in 71 patients with hemifacial spasm. Dose requirements needed to treat aberrant regeneration of the facial nerve were substantially less than needed to treat blepharospasm and Meige syndrome. The dose requirement was similar to that in hemifacial spasm treatment. The reason for the differences probably relates to existing muscular denervation associated with hemifacial spasm and aberrant facial nerve regeneration.

DSM-III in residency training: results of a Canadian survey

The authors surveyed directors of residency training as well as residents across Canada to determine the extent to which DSM-III has been incorporated into the Canadian psychiatric residency training programs, how this has been accomplished, and the respondents' assessment of certain effects of DSM-III on residency training. This study is a replication of an earlier study done by another team in the United States. Our study indicates that, in most cases, the attitude towards DSM-III was positive: 100% of respondents described the system as useful or somewhat useful in the training settings. The most frequently selected positive features were its value as a common language, an aid in differential diagnosis, its empirical approach and specificity or clarity of the criteria. The criticisms frequently centred on the DSM-III's potential to induce a false impression of all encompassing theoretical knowledge, to be misused in a mechanistic manner as a "cookbook", and on the DSM-III's inadequacy with some patients (for example, children, neurotic disorders, and personality disorders).

The dexamethasone suppression test and the Children's Depression Inventory in psychiatric disorders in children

This open study attempts to evaluate the usefulness of objective diagnostic tests in the child and adolescent age group. Fifty-eight children admitted to a Child and Adolescent Psychiatric service were administered the Dexamethasone Suppression Test (DST), the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI) or both. Rates of DST non-suppression were significantly elevated in children with major affective disorders (10/12) and in children suffering from adjustment disorders (3/18). Children with major depressions and conduct disorders both showed elevated scores on the CDI (p less than 0.025), and these two groups did not significantly differ from each other on this measure. The implications of these findings for future research are discussed.