This study describes a follow-up of 15 non-injured women, all from the same socio-economic background, who were exposed to a terrorist attack in Israel. All of the women participated in group debriefing with brief group psychotherapy, involving six meetings during the first 2 months following the event. Two days after the attack, and 2 months and 6 months after the event, the women were administered a post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) diagnostic scale, the Impact of Event Scale (IES) and the SCL-90. At 6 months, four subjects (27%) were diagnosed with full PTSD. The IES showed significantly higher scores at the first measure than at the other two measures. Furthermore, the phobic anxiety subscale score immediately after the event was significantly associated with the General Severity Index of the SCL-90 and the severity of PTSD symptomatology at 6 months. The present paper discusses the effectiveness of psychological intervention following trauma, and raises questions concerning the need to invest public resources in this kind of intensive intervention. Suggestions are proposed regarding the desired emphasis of the psychological treatment in order to improve its benefits to victims.

One hundred and twenty-seven patients admitted for dizziness, syncope, or a fall were studied prospectively over a six-month period. History taking, a thorough physical evaluation, routine blood tests, a carboxy-hemoglobin serum assay and an ECG with carotid sinus compression were carried out as the initial workup. Additional investigations were then performed as indicated. Most patients were females above 65 years of age. A cause was identified in 87 % of cases. Cardiovascular disease was the leading cause (50 %), followed by neurologic disease, falls due to clumsiness, and abuse of alcohol. The initial workup ensured the diagnosis in 79 % of cases ; more sophisticated investigations provided decisive information in only 10 % of patients. Clinical findings were found to have the greatest diagnostic value (66 %). Among sophisticated investigations, continuous ECG monitoring was most informative (25 %), whereas investigations of the brain were less likely to be helpful. In half the cases, the hospital stay was extended to adjust previous therapy or investigate a disease state discovered during the current hospitalization. These data show that inhospital evaluation, even of short duration, is beneficial in patients with dizziness, syncope or a fall.

127 patients were admitted to medical units because of malaises, syncopes and falls. The causes were found in 87% of the patients, mainly cardiovascular. In 50% of the patients, admission resulted in adjustment of treatment or finding and other pathology.

1.(1) K+-release in phalloidin-poisoned rat liver is inhibited by tetraethylammonium and several SH-compounds.2.(2) Insulin does not diminish this K+-loss of the liver cell, when administered in physiological concentrations. Only very high doses inhibit the phalloidin-induced potassium release.3.(3) In view of the findings on isolated liver cell membranes by Hegner et al. our results suggest that phalloidin is an iontophoretic substance like valinomycine and other antibiotics. Phalloidin seems to open potassium channels of the liver cell plasma membrane.

This paper describes a method for measuring neutron-absorption cross sections based on the following principle: Introduction of a neutron-absorbing substance into a pile decreases the reactivity and in order to keep the power level constant the control rods must be displaced. By proper calibration this displacement may be used as a precision measure of the absorption cross section.

Cloud-chamber measurements are described in which the $\ensuremath{\beta}$-rays emitted by the radioactive nuclei ${\mathrm{As}}^{76}$ ($T=27$ hours), ${\mathrm{Kr}}^{88,\ensuremath{\ge}90}$ ($T=3$ hours), and the latter's decay product, ${\mathrm{Rb}}^{88,\ensuremath{\ge}90}$ ($T=18$ minutes), were investigated. The krypton and rubidium activities were separated from uranium fission products. The observed upper energy limit of the disintegration electrons from ${\mathrm{As}}^{76}$ is 2.71 Mev. The complexity of the spectrum is apparent from the observed momentum distribution. A Fermi plot yields an extrapolated end point of 2.78 Mev. A K-U plot analyzes into components with extrapolated end points of 0.97 Mev and 3.32 Mev. The decay of ${\mathrm{As}}^{76}$ was followed and found to have a half-life of 26.8 hours. The $\ensuremath{\beta}$-rays from the active rubidium have an observed upper energy limit at 5.1 Mev. Although a Fermi plot analyzes into two components with extrapolated end points at 2.5 Mev and 5.0 Mev, a K-U plot indicates a single group with extrapolated end point at 5.8 Mev. The possible instability of the rubidium decay product, a strontium isotope, is discussed. A measurement of the half-life of the rubidium activity yields $T=17.5$ minutes. The measurement and K-U analysis of the complex spectrum due to krypton and rubidium disintegrations yields an extrapolated upper energy limit of 2.5 Mev for the $\ensuremath{\beta}$-rays emitted by ${\mathrm{Kr}}^{88,\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}\ensuremath{\ge}90}$. A plot of the Sargent points indicates that all of the $\ensuremath{\beta}$-transitions involved in the above measurements are of the "forbidden" type.