Watts-to-Wellbeing: does residential energy conservation improve health?

Residential energy conservation has been increasing in number of houses treated, frequency, and scope, but few studies have examined whether modern energy conservation measures improve the health status of the occupants. We measured self-reported general, respiratory, cardiovascular, and mental health via structured telephone interviews using an adaptation of the National Health Interview Survey at baseline and follow-up in 2009–2012 [n?=?248 households in Boston, Chicago, and New York City (248 adults and 75 children)]. Housing included buildings with one to three units (n?=?106 units) located in Boston and buildings with >3 units/building (n?=?142) located in Chicago and New York. The energy conservation typically included insulation, heating equipment, and ventilation improvements. Adult respondents reported a 0.29-point improvement in the mean general health score (1 = excellent, 2 = very good, 3 = good, 4 = fair, 5 = poor) (3.07 to 2.78, p?<?0.001). Sinusitis, hypertension, overweight, and reduced use of asthma medication during asthma attacks showed 5 %, 14 %, 11 %, and 20 % differentials between improvement and worsening (p?=?0.038, p?<?0.001, p?<?0.001, and p?=?0.077, respectively). Forty-two adult respondents reported doctor-diagnosed asthma at baseline. Two measures of asthma severity worsened (days with problems sleeping—differential between improvement and worsening ?28 %, p?=?0.009; and frequency of symptoms such as cough, wheezing, and shortness of breath—differential between improvement and worsening ?26 %, p?=?0.031). Nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide were low and showed no significant changes from baseline to follow-up in 41 housing units. This study found that residential energy conservation work conducted by trained professionals that balances energy efficiency and indoor environmental quality improves general health, sinusitis, and reduced asthma medication. Further research is needed to understand asthma-related outcomes.     

A comparative study of the value of immunohistochemistry and the polymerase chain reaction in the diagnosis of follicular lymphoma

We have compared the value of immunohistochemical and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techniques in distinguishing follicular lymphoma from follicular hyperplasia in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues of 41 follicular lymphomas, 15 reactive lymph nodes and 5 reactive tonsils. Immunohistochemistry demonstrated bcl-2 protein in the follicle centre cells of 97% of follicular lymphomas whereas monoclonal immunoglobulin light chain was detected in 83% of cases. Assessing the lowest proliferating follicle of each case by MIB-1 immunostaining, proliferation fractions in the lymphomas varied from 0.5% to 59% (mean 15.6%). Over 80% of lymphomas had proliferation fractions of less than 25%. PCR detected gene rearrangement either at the bcl-2 locus, or at the IgH locus, or at both loci in 32%, 44% and 61% of lymphomas, respectively. The follicle centre cells of the reactive lymph nodes and tonsils were all bcl-2 protein negative and polytypic for kappa and lambda light chains. Proliferation fractions of the lowest proliferating follicle in each reactive case ranged from 30.5% to 86.8% (mean 64.9%). Rearrangements of the bcl-2 or IgH loci were not detected in any reactive case. This study demonstrates that bcl-2 and light chain immunostaining are the most consistently helpful aids to diagnosing follicular lymphoma. A low proliferation fraction also indicates lymphoma but a high proliferation fraction does not exclude the diagnosis. Immunostaining with a combination of anti bcl-2 and MIB 1 antibodies is a sensitive and specific method for identifying follicular lymphoma, is technically simple to perform and easy to interpret. In occasional cases, where immunostaining gives equivocal results, PCR analysis can confirm lymphoma, but a negative result does not exclude the diagnosis.     

Preferential metabolism of linoleic acid by five-day-old barley shoots

The degradation of exogenous radioactively labeled fatty acids by 5-day-old barley shoots was examined. [1-¹⁴C] Linoleic acid was observed to be degraded 7 times faster than [1-¹⁴C] oleic acid and 5 times faster than [1-¹⁴C] palmitic acid. The pathway of degradation was determined by identifying the water-soluble products and determined to be β-oxidation. During a 15 min incubation, the barley shoots took up 0.91 nmol/g fresh wt of linoleic acid, of which 0.16 nmol/g fresh wt was incorporated into glutamic acid, 0.07 nmol/g fresh wt into succinic acid and 0.002 nmol/g fresh wt into carbohydrates. By 30 min, additional TCA cycle intermediates, especially malic acid, were detected. Palmitic acid and oleic acid were broken down to the same products. The rates of uptake and the distribution of label into lipids were determined. The uptake of label by the tissue was similar for all 3 fatty acid substrates. Label from linoleic, oleic and palmitic acids was found to be incorporated into similar lipids, primarily phosphatidylcholine (PC), and the extent of incorporation was comparable. Although all 3 fatty acid substrates were broken down by β-oxidation, the reason for the more rapid degradation of linoleic acid was not established. It does not appear to be related to uptake of substrate or incorporation of label into lipids.     

Cholesterol granuloma cyst of the petrous apex

Cholesterol granuloma cyst of the petrous apex is an uncommon lesion and often presents a diagnostic and management dilemma to the otolaryngologist. Patients usually demonstrate signs and symptoms referable to a mass lesion of the cerebellopontine angle or brainstem. We present two cases of cholesterol granuloma cyst that were treated at our institution and discuss our diagnostic and management algorithms. Also included is a thorough review of the literature.     

Comprehension and production of symbols in infancy: An experimental study.

There is now considerable evidence in support of the Piagetian-Wernerian hypothesis that early language emerges out of a more general symbolic capacity, one that also includes the use of gestural symbolic schemes in play. The present study examined the same hypothesis, but in a situation with more controls over the eliciting conditions for different aspects of early symbolization. The processes studied were word comprehension, word production, and gestural production. Ss were 26 infants tested longitudinally at 13 and 20 mo, responding to the same set of familar objects in realistic vs abstract versions. Word comprehension was unaffected by the abstraction manipulation at either age, but did increase significantly over time. Word production also increased developmentally and interacted significantly with abstraction (with more naming of realistic objects). Gestural production actually decreased over time. The abstractness effect on gesture interacted with age, in that the difference between realistic and abstract objects was much greater at 13 mo. Results are discussed in terms of a "switchover" in the preferred modality for recognizing or categorizing objects in the 2nd yr. Differences in the contextual dependence of gesture and word (i.e., effect of perceptual detail in the object) are also considered. (19 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Graduate training in psychology: The trend in specialization at the master's level.

Should the master's degree be a terminal degree of a steppingstone to the doctorate? The question of specialization at this level also enters the picture. Data from published research of other investigators indicate that "for each field in which the Master's is offered in both 1951-52 and in 1961-62 not only has the percentage of schools offering it sharply decreased but also… the absolute number is less." As compared with 1951, the 1961 figures "show that Masters' in the major fields of psychology are offered in fewer schools today, and a large number offer no Master's at all… . The number and percentages of schools offering no Master's degrees in psychology has more than tripled in the ten-year period." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Wheat drying in well-stirred-batch and continuous-moving-bed dryers

Earlier studies established the physical chemistry and diffusion mathematics of wheat drying. This knowledge was applied in a mathematical model of continuous drying in a well-stirred bed, and a good correlation of experimental results on spouted-bed drying was obtained. Now a model has been formulated for both well-stirred batch and continuous moving-bed dryers of the commercial types. The set of mass and energy balances and rate equations has been solved numerically by digital computation. Heating and cooling cycles are both treated. Good agreement is found with the experimental data of Stansfield and Cook on a dryer simulating the performance of commercial moving-bed dryers.     

Anatomical and behavioral effects of colchicine administration to rats late in utero

Offspring from pregnant rats injected with 4mg/kg body weight colchicine on Embryonic Days 18, 19, and 20 were found to have isocortical and hippocampal structures greatly reduced in mass when examined at birth. Cells with pyknotic nuclei were found in Layers 5, 4, and 3 of the cerebral isocortex, the habenula, and anterior medial nuclei of the thalamus. Brains taken at Postnatal Days 22 and 132 were reduced in overall size, and had a 20-30% reduction of cells at the vertex of the neocortex with up to 50% reduction in the thickness of the corpus callosum. A decrease in activity, an increase in fearfulness and/or decreased tendency to explore, reduced error scores on the Hebb-Williams maze, poor performance on the Maier elevated maze, and a lessened sensitivity to sound-induced seizures were correlated with these anatomical changes.