No abstract

This study was performed to examine the relationships between portal pressure measurements and the presence of esophagogastric varices, the size of varices and the occurrence of hemorrhage from varices in 93 patients with alcoholic cirrhosis, using standardized measurements of portal pressure by hepatic vein catheterization. The mean hepatic vein pressure gradient (HVPG) was significantly higher in 49 patients who had bled from varices than in 44 cirrhotic patients who had not (20.4 +/- 5.1 vs. 16.0 +/- 5.2; p less than 0.001). None of the 49 patients who had bled from varices had an HVPG less than 12 mm Hg. Among the 87 patients who had been examined by endoscopy for varices, all 72 with varices had an HVPG greater than 12 mm Hg. Six of 15 cirrhotic patients without varices had HVPG less than 12 mm Hg. The mean HVPG in the 15 patients without varices (15.1 +/- 6.8 mm Hg) was lower than the 72 patients with varices (19.3 +/- 4.8 mm Hg; p less than 0.01). Of the 72 patients with varices, 40 had large varices, 28 had small varices, and in four patients variceal size could not be assessed adequately. The mean HVPG was similar in the patients with large or small varices (19.8 +/- 4.8 vs. 18.3 +/- 5.0 mm Hg; p greater than 0.10). There was a positive relationship between the presence of large varices and the occurrence of bleeding from varices.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

In two experiments, we tested the hypotheses that (a) the difference between liars and truth tellers will be greater when interviewees report their stories in reverse order than in chronological order, and (b) instructing interviewees to recall their stories in reverse order will facilitate detecting deception. In Experiment 1, 80 mock suspects told the truth or lied about a staged event and did or did not report their stories in reverse order. The reverse order interviews contained many more cues to deceit than the control interviews. In Experiment 2, 55 police officers watched a selection of the videotaped interviews of Experiment 1 and made veracity judgements. Requesting suspects to convey their stories in reverse order improved police observers' ability to detect deception and did not result in a response bias.

Given the crucial role of eyewitness evidence, statements should be obtained as soon as possible after an incident. This is not always achieved due to demands on police resources. Two studies trace the development of a new tool, the Self-Administered Interview (SAI), designed to elicit a comprehensive initial statement. In Study 1, SAI participants reported more correct details than participants who provided a free recall account, and performed at the same level as participants given a Cognitive Interview. In Study 2, participants viewed a simulated crime and half recorded their statement using the SAI. After a delay of 1 week, all participants completed a free recall test. SAI participants recalled more correct details in the delayed recall task than control participants.