Ultrasonography of the prostate gland and testes in dogs

Ultrasonographic imaging is an important diagnostic tool because it allows assessment of the shape, size, position, margination and internal architecture of organs, as well as facilitating the study of vascular supply and vascularisation. Recently, there has been considerable development of B-mode, Doppler and contrast-enhanced ultrasonography for examination of the reproductive tract of dogs, both for studying normal physiology and in the clinical setting. This article describes the practical examination of the canine prostate gland and testes using a variety of ultrasound techniques, and details the normal appearance and blood flow of these organs as well as changes that may be observed with common reproductive disorders

The Threshold Bias Model: A Mathematical Model for the Nomothetic Approach of Suicide

Comparative and predictive analyses of suicide data from different countries are difficult to perform due to varying approaches and the lack of comparative parameters.A simple model (the Threshold Bias Model) was tested for comparative and predictive analyses of suicide rates by age. The model comprises of a six parameter distribution that was applied to the USA suicide rates by age for the years 2001 and 2002. Posteriorly, linear extrapolations are performed of the parameter values previously obtained for these years in order to estimate the values corresponding to the year 2003. The calculated distributions agreed reasonably well with the aggregate data. The model was also used to determine the age above which suicide rates become statistically observable in USA, Brazil and Sri Lanka.The Threshold Bias Model has considerable potential applications in demographic studies of suicide. Moreover, since the model can be used to predict the evolution of suicide rates based on information extracted from past data, it will be of great interest to suicidologists and other researchers in the field of mental health

Suicide attempts by exogenous intoxication among female adolescents treated at a reference hospital in the city of Recife-PE, Brazil

This study aimed to assess cases of self-inflicted poisoning among adolescents reported by the Toxicological Care Center of a reference hospital in Recife-PE, Brazil. The data were collected between March and May 2010 from hospital charts and structured interviews with the participants and parents/guardians. Among the 25 cases of attempted suicide registered in the period, 21 were female adolescents, who made up the sample of the present study. The adolescents were between 13 and 19 years of age. Pesticides were the most frequent toxic agent used (61.9%). The results of the present study underscore the importance of studying suicide in this population, with a focus on family relations, in order to lay the foundation for the development of prevention and treatment programs for this vulnerable group