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In this paper, we study the wear resistance of multi-layered composites of Cu/SiC + Gr hybrid composites prepared by layer compaction and pressure sintering. The tribological behavior and wear resistance of the composites were evaluated at a range of sliding speeds (5, 10, 30 and 35 m/s) in a laboratory scale inertia brake dynamometer for brake friction material applications. The wear surface morphology and mechanisms were studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), XRD, and stereoscopy. The microstructure of the composites was also characterized using SEM and optical microscopy and the mechanical response in compression and flexure was evaluated. The results of these tests indicate that the density, wear resistance, braking behavior and mechanical response can be significantly improved by the presence of a layer of copper away from the sliding surface. The presence of the layer also improved friction and wear resistance significantly. The formation of mechanically mixed tribolayer and oxides (Fe3O4) reduced the wear rate and stabilized the friction coefficient at 30 and 35 m/s. Finally, crack deflection and branching at the interface between the composite and Cu layers improved the flexural strength of the layered composites. The fractography analysis indicates a quasi-cleavage intergranular fracture in the composite layer and a purely ductile fracture in the Cu layer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two hundred and thirty men, being treated for ICD-10 diagnosed dependence on alcohol, opioids or both, were studied 2-4 weeks after the last use of alcohol or opioids. Alienation Scale, Sensation Seeking Scale and Muliphasic Personality Questionnaire (MPQ), and selected sociodemographic and family history data were studied. All three groups showed high alienation (more in opioid cases), high sensation seeking (more in alcohol cases, more for boredom susceptibility), and a disturbed MPQ profile. The dual dependence group was similar to opioid group for age, but closer to alcohol group in terms of personality profile. Only alcohol cases showed a significantly positive correlation between alienation and sensation seeking- in terms of total scale, and boredom susceptibility and disinhibition subscales only. Thus, substance specificity was not reflected prominently in the inter-relationships between alienation, sensation seeking and MPQ scores, and sociodemographic variables.

Twenty cases of cannabis psychosis were compared with a control group of 20 patients with 'acute schizophrenic episode' on a number of demographic, clinical, illness-related and outcome variables in a case-control study design using a retrospective chart review. The two groups were comparable on demographic, past and family histories of mental illness, premorbid personality, psychomotor activity, Schneiderian first-rank symptoms and mild cognitive deficits. The cases, in contrast to the control group, had a psychosis of shorter duration characterized by reactive and congruent affect, relative absence of schizophrenic formal thought disorder and a predominantly polymorphic clinical picture. Relapse was always preceded by cannabis use. This study suggests that, in spite of certain overlaps, 'cannabis psychosis' may still be considered nosologically distinct from schizophrenia in India. The implication of the study is that the role of cannabis in any acute psychosis should be investigated carefully so as to prevent an overdiagnosis of schizophrenia.

Unlabelled: Aim To study the profile of psychiatric disorders in medical-surgical inpatients so that subpopulations with particular mental health care needs could be identified., Findings: a retrospective analysis of 1245 referrals seen over seven years showed that psychiatric profiles in referrals from different sub-populations divided according to age, gender, source of referral and medical-surgical diagnosis, were quite dissimilar. It was felt that non-recognition of specific needs of these client groups had led to low referral rates (0.65%), and to referral practices wherein the needs of the consultee (referral for disturbed behaviour) and the consultant (management by pharmacologic agents) and certain social biases (low referrals for suicide attempts) had taken precedence over the requirements of optimal management of the cases., Implications: Financial and manpower constraints limit the advocacy for a superspecialist orientation, as a policy in India. It is recommended that while continuing with the provision of general consultation services, psychiatrists should acquire expertise in areas of C-L work, which fit in with their area of interest in general psychiatry.

Responses from 205 subjects to a 51 -item self-report Likert scale for assessment of attitudes toward drinking and alcoholism (SAADA-I) were subjected to a principal component factor analysis with varimax rotation. The resultant 29 item modified version of the scale (SAADA-II) had four factors named "Acceptance1", "Rejection", "Avoidance" and "Social dimension", and explaining 8.59%, 8.35%, 4.76% and 3.79% of the variance respectively (total variance explained 25.49%. Measures of internal consistency and stability over time both yielded overall satisfactory results. The complex, multidimensional nature of the attitudes toward drinking and alcoholism is emphasized by this study. Also, the scale, after further modifications, may be used as a sound psychometric index for measuring such attitudes especially in the care-givers, professionals and burdensharers dealing with alcohol dependent persons.

Fifty patients of recurrent mania were studied for seasonality of which 11 patients fulfilled our study criteria for Seasonal Affective Disorder (recurrent mania). The two groups of seasonal and nonseasonal recurrent mania were compared on clinical and socio-demographic variables. Results characterised recurrent seasonal mania with psychotic features and occurrence of episodes mainly in summer and winter instead of autumn and spring.

This study explored biological as well as psychosocial contributions to the incidence of acute brief psychoses in three developing country sites. The samples were taken from the five year follow-up data of the International Pilot Study of Schizophrenia sites in Ibadan, Nigeria and Agra, India, and from the Determinants of Outcome of Severe Mental Disorders rural Chandigarh site. Baseline narratives of the cases and controls were reviewed and rated for presence or absence of three exposures: fever, departure from or return to parental village (women), and job distress (men). Results showed an association between fever and acute brief psychosis in all three sites. There was an association between acute brief psychosis and departure from or return to the parental village among women in all sites, and among men, an association between job distress and acute brief psychosis was noted in Ibadan and Agra. These findings suggest that psychosocial and biological factors such as these three exposures merit further research to clarify their roles in the etiology of acute brief psychoses.

This paper presents an overview of the diagnoses and short-term course of acute psychotic illnesses--affective as well as nonaffective--in a developing country setting. In the Chandigarh Acute Psychosis Study (CAPS) in Northern India, a cohort of 91 cases of acute psychotic illness were assessed for symptoms, diagnosis, and course ratings at multiple intervals over a 12 month period; cases were drawn from a rural and an urban clinic, permitting comparison of patients in these two settings. Non-affective (mainly schizophrenic) patients were found to be the predominant group (51%), followed by manic (26%), and depressive (19%) patients. Overall the acute psychoses had an excellent short-term course and outcome, a result which held across all diagnostic groups and both the rural and urban setting. Rural and urban patients were similar in diagnostic distribution and course of illness. Investigations of such cases can expand our view of the possible manifestations and course of psychotic disorders, and may have implications for diagnosis.

The effect of normo (NTG)- and hypertriglyceridemic (HTG)-VLDL on cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) surface-localized fibrinolysis was examined following pre-incubation with NTG-, HTG-VLDL, LDL (1-20 micrograms/mL) or buffer (control). Ligand binding assays, using 125I-labeled tcu-PA, t-PA, or Glu-plasminogen (Glu-Pmg) were carried out in the absence/presence of lipoproteins. Scatchard analyses showed that HTG-VLDL decreased the Bmax for 125I-labeled Glu-Pmg ligand binding approximately 35% [(2.11 +/- 0.39)-(1.40 +/- 0.32) x 10(6) sites/cell, p < 0.005] and increased the Kd, app approximately 5-fold (0.32 +/- 0.03 to 1.74 +/- 0.08 microM, p < 0.01), while NTG-VLDL, LDL, and buffer had no effect. 125I-labeled PA ligand binding was unaffected by these lipoproteins. Receptor-bound PA activation of cell-bound 125I-labeled Glu-Pmg was measured by quantitation of either the M(r) 20 kDa light- or M(r) 60 kDa heavy-chain of 125I-labeled plasmin, following SDS-PAGE. Kinetic analysis of these data (HTG-VLDL vs controls) indicated that HTG-VLDL decreased the V(max) of tcu-PA- and t-PA-mediated activation of plasminogen approximately 2.7-fold (0.317 +/- 0.023 vs 0.869 +/- 0.068 nM s-1, p < 0.01) and approximately 2.9-fold (0.391 +/- 0.098 vs 1.152 +/- 0.265 nM s-1, p < 0.01), respectively. Increasing concentrations of the HTG-VLDL increased 1/V(max), yielding a series of parallel plots, typical for uncompetitive inhibition with a Ki for inhibition of approximately 10 micrograms/mL. The combined ligand binding and kinetic data best fit an uncompetitive inhibition model in which the binding of the large HTG-VLDL particle to the EC surface may directly affect Glu-Pmg binding and activation, thus contributing to early fibrin deposition and the increased thrombotic risk associated with HTG.

Objective: To determine the associations between serum cortisol and HDL cholesterol, other lipoprotein lipids and cardiovascular risk factors, carotid atherosclerosis, and clinical heart disease in older people., Design: A cross-sectional, observational, ancillary study of the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS)., Population: A total of 245 community-dwelling people, 65 to 89 years old, were recruited consecutively for a 2-month period from the CHS cohort in Forsyth County, North Carolina., Methods: Cortisol was measured by radioimmunoassay in serum collected between 7:00 and 10:00 AM after an overnight fast. Cortisol levels were correlated with lipoprotein lipids, insulin, glucose, body mass index, waist-hip ratio, prevalent coronary heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, and carotid atherosclerosis by B-mode ultrasound., Results: Serum cortisol was correlated negatively (r = -.24) with body mass index and waist-hip ratio (r = -.16) but was not related significantly to fasting insulin or glucose. Cortisol was not associated significantly with triglyceride and low density lipoprotein cholesterol but showed a positive correlation (r = .21) with high density lipoprotein cholesterol. The relationship between cortisol and high density lipoprotein cholesterol persisted after adjustment for gender, body mass index, waist-hip ratio, cigarette and alcohol use, triglyceride level, and diabetes. There was a trend toward a negative correlation between cortisol and measures of carotid atherosclerosis, but no significant relationship was indicated between cortisol and prevalent coronary heart disease, hypertension, or diabetes., Conclusion: Endogenous glucocorticoid levels correlated with HDL cholesterol levels and may play a role in the physiologic regulation of high density lipoprotein levels in older people.

The endothelial cell (EC) urokinase receptor plays an important role in the localization and receptor-mediated activation of EC-bound plasminogen and hence surface-localized fibrinolysis. Thrombin induced a rapid (< 5 minute), time- (0 to 30 minutes) and dose- (0.1 to 8 U/mL) dependent decrease in the specific binding of 125I-labeled two-chain urokinase-type plasminogen activator (tcu-PA) or diisopropylfluoro-phosphate-tcu-PA to urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (u-PAR) in cultured ECs from various sources (range, 21% to 50%). The thrombin receptor activation peptide but not control peptide showed a similar but reduced decrease in the specific binding of 125I-labeled tcu-PA to u-PAR. Incubation of thrombin-treated cultures (10 to 12 hours) in complete medium restored 125I-labeled tcu-PA ligand binding to normal levels. u-PAR mRNA levels rapidly (1 hour) increased and peaked 10 to 12 hours after thrombin treatment as analyzed by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. Decreased thrombin-induced 125I-labeled tcu-PA binding correlated with the time-dependent decrease in surface-localized plasmin generation, as measured by the direct activation of 125I-labeled Glu-plasminogen and quantification of the 20-kD light chains of 125I-labeled plasmin. After incubation with thrombin, plasmin generation was decreased 50% to 56% (125 to 152 fmol/3 to 3.5 x 10(4) cells). Isolation of metabolically labeled 35S-labeled u-PAR from the media of thrombin and phospholipase C-treated human aortic cultures yielded approximately 10- and approximately 12-fold more 55-kD M(r) and approximately 6-fold more 35-kD M(r) 35S-labeled u-PAR forms than control cultures, respectively. The u-PAR antigen forms (M(r), 54 kD) and the glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol-anchored protein CD59 (M(r), 20 kD) were also simultaneously identified by immunoprecipitation in the media of thrombin-treated cultures. This suggests that thrombin may release u-PAR and decrease u-PA ligand binding through a common pathway involving phospholipase C. These results establish a novel interrelation between thrombin and EC fibrinolysis and suggest that thrombin may also have an additional regulatory role in the net expression of surface-localized EC fibrinolytic activity.

The aim of the study was to assess two psychological parameters, sensation-seeking (SS) and alienation (AL), in a sample of thirty DSM-III diagnosed opiate dependence cases, and to compare them on these two parameters with two non-drug-abusing control groups, one from the patients own peer groups and the other from the general population. The opiate dependent subjects were found to score higher both on SS and AL than those in the control groups. Further, there was a gradient of the degree of correlation between these two psychological variables amongst the three groups studied. The opiate dependent group showed the highest positive correlation. The general population control group showed the lowest degree of correlation, and the self-matched control group was intermediate.These findings are consonant with an "SS-AL combination" hypothesis for the genesis of opiate addiction. Briefly, the hypothesis states that a higher sensation-seeking need, coupled with an inability to meet this need through socially sanctioned channels, leads on to repeated experiences with drug taking behavior, thus fostering dependence. The present study provides preliminary data supporting this hypothesis.

The present study aimed at finding out demographic, clinical, personality, and behavioural correlates of age at onset of alcohol dependence. Fifty-one male patients of alcohol dependence (DSM-III-R, APA, 1987) attending the drug de-addiction clinic of a general teaching hospital in India comprised the sample. They were administered a composite socio-demographic and alcohol use proforma, modified Sensation-Seeking Scale (SSS), Multiphasic Personality Questionnaire (MPQ), and a checklist of behavioural tendencies when drinking. The early-onset alcoholics (age at onset of alcohol dependence 25 years or less) were younger. They had a larger proportion of first-degree relatives with both lifetime use and abuse/dependence of alcohol but not of other psychoactive substances. They had experienced a greater number of alcohol-related problems in the previous 1 year. They were also higher sensation seekers, higher on the Psychopathic deviate scale of MPQ, and tended to display aggression, violence, and general disinhibition when drinking. The late-onset alcoholics (age at onset of alcohol dependence more than 25 years) were anxiety-prone and guilt-ridden, and had less alcohol-related problems. The two groups were comparable on duration, frequently, and quantity of alcohol consumption. The findings are discussed in relation to some of the recently proposed typologies of alcoholism.

A large number of studies have consistently demonstrated the potential of yoga, not only in the treatment of psychiatric and psychosomatic disorder but also in promoting positive physical and mental health. This paper reviews various studies on the treatment of neurosis with techniques derived from yoga. A few lacunae have been identified and possible directions for future research are outlined. It is hoped that research along these lines will develop a standardized method of yoga therapy which can be utilized and integrated within the existing methods of treatment of neurotic disorders.

Association between cannabis use and various psychiatric syndromes does exist, but their nature remains elusive. Cannabis intoxication, 'cannabis psychosis' and certain other conditions related with cannabis use like flashbacks and prolonged depersonalization are discussed in this paper. The controversial nature of the cannabis - schizophrenia link is noted, and various methodological issues in clinical cannabis research are highlighted.

Cytokines, important biochemical mediators of inflammation, cause a rapid fall in the plasma concentration of cholesterol in vivo. One mechanism by which cytokines may cause acquired hypocholesterolemia is by decreasing the hepatic synthesis and secretion of apolipoproteins. To test this hypothesis, we incubated Hep G2 cells with human recombinant tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-1 beta, and interleukin-6. Each of the cytokines resulted in a dose-related reduction in the concentrations of apolipoprotein (apo) A-I, apoB, and lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) activity in the medium after 24 hours of incubation. The effect of cytokines on apolipoprotein accumulation was not affected by preincubation of Hep G2 cells with fatty acids. Cytokines decreased the concentration of cellular apoA-I mRNA in a dose-related fashion but did not affect cellular concentrations of apoB mRNA. The concentrations of triglyceride and cholesterol were also reduced in the medium of cells incubated with cytokines. Total cell sterol synthesis rates were calculated by [14C]acetate incorporation. Cells incubated with interleukin-6 had a 31% increase in sterol synthesis rate but a 41% decrease in sterol secretion. These data suggest that these cytokines can decrease the hepatic synthesis and/or secretion of apolipoproteins and that this may explain, in part, the acquired hypocholesterolemia seen during acute and chronic inflammation.

Patients admitted to the Drug De-addiction and Treatment Centre, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education & Research, Chandigarh, were screened for HIV antibodies. Out of 116 patients, 45 (39%) were injecting drug users (IDUs), 29 (25%) were other drug users and 42 (36%) were primary users of alcohol. One IDU was HIV seropositive (2.2% of the IDUs). Analysis of HIV-related risk behaviour showed that the IDUs were at high risk, because of needle sharing as also because of having multiple sex partners. The potential for HIV infection in these persons practising high-risk behaviour calls for timely preventive measures.

The association between agoraphobia and alcohol dependence has been frequently observed in Western literature, but reports from India are lacking. Two cases demonstrating such an association are described. In both of them, the agoraphobic symptoms followed alcohol dependence. The interaction between these two conditions may set up a vicious cycle, and failure to recognize this co-morbidity may result in treatment failure.

Under a WHO collaborative study, the Chandigarh center monitored two geographically defined populations over a 2-year period. Using helping-agency-coverage and other methods along with a set of specified criteria, 268 first-onset potentially schizophrenic cases were actively identified. Of these, 232 cases could be assessed in detail which included 209 schizophrenics as per specified ICD-9 or Catego criteria. The annual incidence rates obtained were 4.4 and 3.8 per 10,000 for rural and urban areas, respectively. The rural cohort had a higher incidence for each of the three diagnostic definitions. In the urban cohort, sex and diagnostic definition did not affect the incidence. In the rural cohort, females had a lower incidence for Catego S+ and a higher incidence for other diagnostic definitions.

Twenty patients of positive schizophrenia and 20 patients of negative schizophrenia, individually matched for age, sex, place of residence and education were studied to assess their linguistic competence and its relationship with psychopalhology and subsequent course of the disorder over a follow-up period of 6 months. It was observed that positive schizophrenics had significantly higher linguistic competence than negative schizophrenics. Linguistic competence was significantly related not only to the type of symptoms (positive or negative) but also to the severity of these symptoms. High linguistic competence was an indicator of poor prognosis in positive schizophrenia whereas in negative schizophrenia it was indicative of good prognosis.

Glucocorticoid hormones increase high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels in vivo. However, there is little known about the mechanism by which glucocorticoids alter HDL metabolism. Hep G2 cells were incubated with dexamethasone to determine the effect of glucocorticoids on apolipoprotein (apo) A-I secretion. Dexamethasone increased apo A-I concentration in a dose-dependent fashion. After 24 hours, 5.5 x 10(-5) mol/L dexamethasone increased apo A-I accumulation in culture medium by 54%. Detectable increases in apo A-I concentration were noted in medium by 5 hours of incubation and persisted up to 48 hours. Cellular apo A-I mRNA concentration increased by 28% after incubation with dexamethasone for 24 hours. The increase in apo A-I mRNA concentration was detectable within 3 hours after incubation with dexamethasone. In contrast, incubation with dexamethasone decreased apo B concentration by 43% in culture medium, but it had no effect on cellular apo B mRNA concentrations. Dexamethasone had little effect on cholesterol and triglyceride accumulation in the medium. Incubation with albumin alone did not affect apo A-I concentration, but it decreased apo B concentration by 30% in the medium. Incubation with albumin and dexamethasone had no effect on apo A-I concentration in medium and had no additive effect on apo B concentration. These data suggest dexamethasone increases secretion of apo A-I by Hep G2 cells by increasing mRNA levels.

The impact of kidney donation on the psychological health of 31 living related donors was assessed by administering certain psychological tests before and after the operation (for donating the kidney). The results indicated a significant rise in the somatization subscale of the Middlesex Hospital Questionnaire (MHQ) from a mean of 1.61 to 3.23. There was no significant change in the other variables of these instruments or in the locus of control score. Only about one-fourth of the donors had prior knowledge of renal transplant. In almost all cases, the decision to donate had been voluntary and immediate, motivated by a concern for the recipient; there was virtually no second thoughts or regrets subsequently, which was apparently partly related to the opinions of other relatives who positively valued the act of donation.

Mothers of 80 children of mild (IQ 50-70) and moderate (IQ 35-49) mental retardation were selected for the present study. A carefully developed home training programme was utilized to train half of the mothers, the other half forming the control group for the study. The experimental and the control groups were matched for age and IQ of the children, and age of the mothers. The women also did not differ significantly on base-line marital adjustment and parental attitude scores and the experienced social burden of the mothers. In the experimental group there was a significant increase in the IQ and improvement in the behaviour of the children and significant improvement in the marital adjustment score, parental attitude and social burden felt by the mothers. There was no significant change in the control group in any of these variables.

A self-administered questionnaire (SKAQ) in simple Hindi was constructed and standardized for assessing the knowledge and attitude of a north Indian population towards sex. SKAQ is a 55- item questionnaire split into two parts: a 35-item knowledge-part with dichotomous choice of responses and a 20-item attitude-part scorable on 3-point Likert scale. Higher scores indicated a better knowledge and a liberal attitude. Its test-retest reliability was established and discriminant validity demonstrated. Both males and females showed poor knowledge about and entertained conservative attitudes. Surprisingly, normal subjects were no different from patients with sexual problems.

Patients (200) with chronic intractable pain were evaluated to identify various psychiatric symptoms. Identifiable psychiatric illness, commonest being neurotic depression and anxiety states, was found in 72 per cent patients. The common symptoms reported on the present state examination (PSE) were worrying (77%), depression (40%), loss of interest (31.5%), hopelessness (16.5%), loss of weight (18%), and suicidal ideas (8%) and irritability (41.5%). Two thirds of patients had both anxiety and depression.

A total of 186 neurotic patients seeking treatment in the psychiatry outpatient clinic of the Nehru Hospital, P.G.I.M.E.R. were assigned consequently to three treatments i.e. Yoga therapy (Y), Yogic Relaxation (YR) and Chemotherapy (C). A record was kept of the number of visits made by each patient during the 5 months study period. In order to find out the factors associated with treatment acceptance, a comparison was made of those subjects who completed 4-6 weeks of treatment with those who dropped out before completing the treatment in the yoga group. The dropouts and non-dropouts were found to be comparable on sociodemographic and clinical variables. They were also similar with regard to the attitude to yoga. The only factor which distinguished the two groups was the severity of illness at intake. Those who continued treatment had significantly higher scores on the P. G. I. Health Questionnaire N-2 and the clinical ratings of the severity of illness. Further, analysis of stage at which dropout occurred, and the responses to the reply paid questionnaire indicated that treatment failure as not the main reason for dropout.

A structured questionnaire was verbally administered individually to a random sample of the general population, 18 years of age and older, of rural and urban Chandigarh and of two villages in Jullundur district, Punjab. Out of a total of 1031 respondents, 23.7 percent were current users, 16.0 percent admitted of alcohol use in the past but were not current users, and 60.3 percent had never had alcoholic beverages. 19.0 percent of Chandigarh urban sample, 31.4 percent of Chandigarh rural sample and 45.9 percent of Jullundur rucal sample were current users. These findings have been discussed in terms of various socio-demographic variables.

Psychological tests measuring intelligence, memory and other cognitive functions were given to 26 heavy cannabis users (mean duration of cannabis use 6.76 years; average daily intake 150 mg THC). Compared with a control group, the cannabis users were found to react slowly in perceptuo-motor tasks, but not to differ in intelligence or memory tests. The users suffered disability in personal, social and vocational areas and indicated higher psychoticism and neuroticism scores.

Socio-demographic con-elates of chronic pain have been described in this study. 200 consecutive chronic pain patients referred from different clinics were examined in detail and their clinical description were recorded. No significant correlation could be established between qualitative description of pain and socio-demographic variables. Pain reported by rural patients was more often severe (P < .01) as compared to the urban patients. Patients diagnosed as neurotic depression were found to be from older age groups, married and matriculates. Thus pain appears to be universal in its distribution and has no preferential predilection to any demographic group.

Development and standardization of an instrument Childhood Psychopathology Measurement Schedule (CPMS) to assess psychopathology in children is reported. CPMS is standardized on Indian population and is applicable to children of both sexes in the age range of 4-14 years. It measures overall psychopathology in the form of a total scores and also the type of psychopathology in the form of eight factorially derived syndromes which have satisfactory reliability and validity. CPMS is proposed to be used as a screening instrument in population surveys to identify disturbed children as well as a research tool involving measurement of childhood psychopathology and its classification.

The degree of addictive substance usage score and three personality variables, namely, authoritarianism, alienation, and anomie were measured in 197 university students through a self-administered questionnaire. WHO's Youth Survey Questionnaire for drag use, Varma et al.'s scale of Authoritarianism, Srole's scale of Anomie, and Pearlin's scale of Alienation, were used. A study of the relationship between the co-variables was studied and is discussed.

Correlations were obtained between scores on the P.G.I. Yoga Attitude Scale and improvement in a group of 20 psychoneurotic patients undertaking yoga therapy of 4-6 weeks duration. A significant positive correlation was found between the improvement in social and vocational disability and scores on the P.G.I Yoga Attitude Scale at intake. However, during treatment and followup, there was a significant change in the attitude towards yoga - it became more positive. Correlations were also performed between improvement and change in attitude over the 5-month study period. Significant positive correlation was seen only on personal distress. Improvement in the other symptoms of neurosis i.e. anxiety, depression, musculo-cutaneous features, vegetative symptoms of neurosis i.e. anxiety, depression, musculo-cutaneous features, vegetative symptoms and the other neurotic features i.e. hysteria, hypochondriasis, obsessions-compulsions and phobia did not show any relationship with the patient's attitude towards yoga.

The psychological impact of the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on psychiatric inpatients was studied. A semistructured interview indicated faulty perception of, and inappropriate reaction to, the event and its implications in the patients, often colored by their background and illness. The Modified Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale indicated a significant rise in their psychopathology soon after the event.

A psychoticism questionnaire was designed constituting 110 questions framed on the basis of the following constructs: desocialization, paranoia, thought disorder, depression, perceptual disturbance, superstitions and mania. In the initial tryout, it was administered to 40 psychotics, 40 neurotics and 40 normals and 40 items inadequately discriminating between psychotics and normals/neurotics were deleted. The revised questionnaire was administered, in second tryout, to 50 psychotics, 50 neurotics and 50 normals. The results were again subjected to item analysis and 10 more items were deleted as they could not discriminate significantly between neurotics and psychotics or where they discriminated between normals and neurotics. Kuder-Richardson formula 20 was used for reliability and criterion validity was assessed by comparing the three diagnositic groups with one another. Both these were satisfactory. Thus a psychoticism questionnaire of 60 items was constructed.

In a survey of non-medical drug use by 266 non-students in the age range 10-24 years, tobacco, alcohol and cannabis were found to be the drugs more commonly used. Use was greater in males, older age groups, those with lower educational levels and those from urban areas. In comparison to students, among non-students use was practically limited to tobacco, alcohol and cannabis, the use was more regular and the age at onset lower. In a pilot trial of two additional strategies to identify drug users among non-student youth, namely cross-validation by fellow employees and verbal group administration of the questionnaire, the number of current users identified was very similar to that found by individual verbal administration, suggesting that these cheaper methods may be useful in some circumstances.

The authors present their experience of prophylactic lithium therapy in seven children diagnosed as manic depressive psychosis, bipolar type, according to International Classification of Diseases, 9th revision. The authors demonstrate the effectiveness of lithium as a therapeutic and prophylactic agent for manic depressive illness in children. Side-effects are not a problem if serum lithium levels are maintained between 0.6-1.2 mEq/L. Renal functions have remained un-impaired even after three years of lithium therapy in four children.

The study was carried out with the main aim of finding the relationship between the temperament 01 children and the phenomenology of the psychiatric disorders exhibited by them. Temperament was taken as the independent variable, phenomenology of the psychiatric disorders in children as the dependent variable and parental handling methods as the intervening variable. Instruments for the measurement of temperament, childhood psychopathology and parental handling were developed and standardized for use in the context of the Indian culture and in Hindi language as the preliminary work for the main study. A group of 100 children suffering from various types of emotional disorders and a control group of 100 normal children were studied with regard to the three variables mentioned earlier. Data on the two groups were separately analysed through univariate and multivariate (factor analysis and hierarchical multiple regression) statistics. The results revealed that the phenomenological categories of Low Intelligence with behaviour Problems, conduct Disorders and Somatization were significantly related to the temperament variables of Emotionality, Energy and Attentitivity respectively. The syndromes of Anxiety, Depression, Psychotic symptoms, Special symptoms and Physical illness with Emotional problems did not have relationship with the temperament or parental handling. Thus, temperament has been found to be specific risk factor leading to specific psychopathologies.

Twenty-seven general medical practitioners (GPs) were administered WHO semi-structured schedule enquiring "The Management of Alcohol-Related Problems in General Practice". Majority of the GPs had some involvement in each one of the specified alcohol-related problems. The involvement in alcohol and health education had been modest. Involvement in the control and regulatory activities was minimal. None of them felt that they had any role in the development of health and alcohol policy. Treatment response lo three typical situations appeared to be quite appropriate. To regulate production, to market less potent drinks at cheaper rates, to organize public health education programme through mass media were the suggestions made by them. It is suggested that GPs can and should be encouraged in leadership roles in policy decisions regarding the delivery of services, control and regulation of alcohol and research.