MIXED NON-ALBICANS CANDIDA FUNGEMIA: AN UNCOMMON BUT EASILY OVERLOOKED CLINICAL ENTITY

The increasing use of invasive medical devices and broad-spectrum antimicrobial agents has resulted in rising candidemia rates throughout the world. A 70-year-old diabetic and schizophrenic woman was admitted initially for staphylococcal sepsis secondary to an infected sacral sore but developed a catheter-related bloodstream infection caused by extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Klebsiella sp. which necessitated the administration of meropenem. Unfortunately, after a week on the carbapenem, the bacterial sepsis was followed by candidemia. Parenteral fluconazole therapy was started pending identification of the yeast(s). Two distinct Candida species were isolated from her blood which were identified biochemically using ID 32 C as Candida tropicalis and Candida lipolytica. Both yeasts possessed elevated minimal inhibitory concentrations toward fluconazole and although amphotericin B was eventually administered, the patient succumbed to her illness.

Interpersonal nurse-patient relationship with a young schizophrenic pregnant woman

The objective of this study was to investigate elements of the personal and psychiatric history, as well as the challenges related to motherhood, of a young schizophrenic female, through person-centered therapeutic interaction. The investigation had an exploratory scope, undertaken in a teaching hospital and data were collected during nondirective interaction on the part of the nurse with a young schizophrenic woman who had been treated in the institution for 10 years. Thematic analysis of the content was undertaken, with emphasis on the nuclei of meaning, identification of the themes and definition of the categories. The patient, called L. in this study, was 30 years old, had a two-year-old child and was three months pregnant when data were collected. Her trajectory was characterized by doubts, fears and uncertainties. The episodes of hospitalization, the coexistence with other patients, and the medications promoted insight into the symptoms, and acceptance of the diagnosis. The main challenge was experiencing pregnancy and the puerperium concomitantly with the psychiatric treatment. The interpersonal relationship established evidenced that, the young woman felling understood and that her needs were attended, overcame several difficulties she had reported and felt fulfilled and integrated into her social environment.

Myrllen's Coat

In 1948, a schizophrenic woman admitted to the Eastern State Hospital in Knoxville, Tennessee, began shredding rags into coloured thread and begging hospital staff to give her a sewing needle. In the space of seven years, she created several garments, densely embroidered with images and glossolalic text. Ward notes dismissively summarized, “She sews without purpose…is non-productive”. In 1955 she was medicated with the newly developed drug, chlorpromazine, and stopped sewing. Over the years, most of the works were lost –– along with the medical records of their creator, who is known by the pseudonym, “Myrllen”. Today, only two artifacts remain: a scarf, which hangs in Lakeshore Mental Health Center in Knoxville; and a coat, preserved in the Tennessee State Museum. My research is the first academic study of these artifacts, which are virtually unknown outside of Tennessee and Maryland.

Interpreting Gesture as Motive: A Transformational Perspective on Replication in R. Murray Schafer’s Seventh String Quartet1

While the text, instrumentation, and performance details of Schafer’s Seventh String Quartet (which include an obligato soprano, colour and costume motifs, and texts based on the writings of a schizophrenic woman) seem to distract from the work’s pitch structure, seemingly disparate motives can instead be considered closely related because they repeat a particular transpositional gesture. This article uses transformational network analysis, a recently developed theoretical approach incorporating elements of mathematical and musical set theory, to illustrate similarities between these pitch motives. A brief introduction to transformational network analysis is included for those not familiar with its terminology.