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Selective 2,1-insertion of the monomer and subsequent elimination of the β-carbon atom of the growing polymer end is proposed as a new mechanism for polymer synthesis that involves ring opening of the monomer. A palladium complex promotes the ring-opening polymerization of 1-methylene-2-arylcyclopropanes to afford polymers with a vinylidene group in each monomer unit., (© 2001 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH, Weinheim, Fed. Rep. of Germany.)

Pepper spray containing oleoresin capsicum is used by law enforcement and the public as a form of nonlethal deterrent. Stimulated by the identification of a case of a corneal abrasion associated with pepper spray exposure, a descriptive retrospective review of a physician-maintained log of patients presenting to a jail ward emergency area over a 3-year period was performed. The objective was to give some quantification to the frequency with which an emergency physician could expect to see corneal abrasions associated with pepper spray exposure. Of 100 cases of pepper spray exposure identified, seven patients had sustained corneal abrasions. We conclude that corneal abrasions are not rare events when patients are exposed to pepper spray and that fluorescein staining and slit lamp or Wood's lamp examination should be performed on all exposed patients in whom corneal abrasions cannot be excluded on clinical grounds.

This study examined the prevalence and clinical features of ICD-10-defined neurasthenia (NT) in Chinese-Americans and its relations to other psychiatric disorders. In this community epidemiological survey, the enhanced Composite International Diagnostic Interview [CIDI], with a supplemental NT module, was administered to 1,747 Chinese-Americans, selected with a stratified cluster sampling method. The SCL-90-R was also used for measuring psychiatric morbidity and symptoms. Dimensions of social stress and social support were measured by established instruments. A total of 112 ICD-10 NT subjects (6.4%) were identified. Of these, 63 (56.3%) did not experience any current and lifetime DSM-III-R diagnoses, yielding a 12-month or lifetime prevalence rate of "pure" NT of 3.61%. This rate was much higher than any of the other psychiatric disorders in this sample. Compared with normal subjects, "pure" NT subjects had significantly higher SCL-90-R total and factor scores, experienced more psychosocial stress, and perceived less social support (P < .05 or .01). Compared with subjects with depression and anxiety disorders, "pure" NT cases reported significantly less SCL-90-R psychological symptoms (P < .05 or .01), but had a strikingly similar elevation in the somatization subscale score. These data suggest that NT is a distinctive clinical condition overlapping only partially with the other better recognized diagnostic entities. In view of its high prevalence and the salience of its impact on the health of those afflicted, it is imperative that concerted research efforts be made to further elucidate the temporal stability, natural course, and outcome of such a condition.