Tests of performance of anaerobic jars

This paper briefly reviews methods of assessing the in-use performance of anaerobic jars and outlines a simple system combining a rapid test of catalytic activity with a biological indicator that can detect defects in the jars after incubation.     

Prolonged survival following cerebral metastasis from pulmonary cancer

A case is reported of prolonged survival after pneumonectomy for anaplastic carcinoma of the left lung and excision of metastatic anaplastic carcinoma of the brain. The patient has survived for 8 years, 6 months after the lung surgery and 7 years after the brain surgery.     

Effect of irradiation on the canine exocrine pancreas

Effects of irradiation on the pancreas was studied in 6 dogs receiving a dose equivalent to the biologic effect of 4000 R/6 weeks (with a nominal stnadard dose of 1175 rets) given to patients with Hodgkins disease. After control secretory, histologic and pancreatographic studies, 6 Thomas fistula dogs were subjected to 2400 R tumor dose over two weeks. There was a biphasic response to secretin alone or secretin with cholecystokininpancreozymin. An initial hypersecretion occurred at 2 weeks --volume was increased, but bicarbonate and enzyme output remained unchanged. Thereafter there was a progressive reduction in volume, bicarbonate and enzyme outputs ( greater than 90% after 3 months). Histology showed early ductal reduplication but with progressive fibrosis, features compatible with chronic pancreatitis. Pancreatic insufficiency may contribute to post-irradiation gastrointestinal symptomatology. Close field irradiation of the pancreas results in actual destruction of the parenchyma.     

Culture, adaptation, and patterns of disease

The sick patient, rather than the disease process itself, should occupy the central focus of the physician's attention. Such an approach recognizes the interaction of physiologic and emotional forces in the occurrence of disease. It allows for a consideration of the contributory role of emotions in the precipition of physical illness and a recognition that physical illness may produce emotional sequelae of relevance to the total clinical problem. It is an approach which views man as an adapting animal, whose environment may play a crucial role in his adaptation and his disease. Only with such a perspective of man and disease can the principles of medical treatment be realistic.     

Will PAPP-A be a biochemical marker for screening of Down''s syndrome in the first trimester?

In 1991, the National Tuberculosis Control Program could start in Madagascar, thanks to the financial support of the French Cooperation. Within 3 years, this allocation of resources allowed the management, respecting the new standards, of 56% of the country's health structures and of more than 75% of the sick. The number of detected and treated patients increased of 80%. During the same period, the recovery rate increased from less than 35% to more than 65%. Those primary results were satisfactory in terms of working but they were not enough in epidemiological terms as the aims were still far: the detection rate of smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis was 40% whereas it ought be 60%, and their recovery rate was 65% whereas it ought to be over 80%. The geographic extension of the Program and its progress depend on a structural strengthening needing an obvious political will and on the intervention of financial partners cooperating with France and willing to set up a long lasting partnership.     

Gender differences in sexual desire: the effects of anger and anxiety

The effects of anxiety and anger on subjective sexual desire in men and women, following Kaplan's model of hypoactive desire disorders, were examined. Gender-appropriate erotic audiotapes containing statements designed to elicit anxiety, anger, or situationally appropriate feelings (control condition) were presented to 24 men and 24 women. Dependent measures included subjective anxiety and time to expressed desire to terminate the sexual encounter. Results indicated that, for women, both anger and anxiety significantly reduced desire relative to the control condition, with anger showing a more marked effect. For men, similar results were noted, although fewer differences were observed between the anxiety and anger conditions. Significantly more women (79%) than men (21%) indicated that they would have terminated the encounter during the anger condition. Results are discussed in light of potential gender differences in factors that influence sexual desire, with directions for future research highlighted.     

Outcome of wheeze in childhood: the influence of atopy

We have previously demonstrated that the adult outcome of childhood asthma differs from that of wheeze occurring only in the presence of infection. This paper examines the role of atopy in relation to outcome. We investigated the atopic status, current symptoms and bronchial reactivity to methacholine of 235 subjects aged 34-40 yrs, originally classified at age 10-15 yrs as having asthma (asthma group), wheeze only in the presence of infection (wheezy group), or no respiratory symptoms (comparison group). Subjects from the original asthma group were more likely to be atopic as defined by skin test reactivity, total serum immunoglobulin E (IgE) measurement or specific IgE radio allergosorbent test (RAST) measurement than those from the wheezy group. The wheezy group differed significantly from the reference group only in RAST results, when other variables were taken into account. In a logistic regression model, the important independent predictors for adult wheezing symptoms were original group, atopy and current smoking. Methacholine responsiveness was independently associated with original group (the asthma group were more likely to respond positively), atopy and female gender. The results suggest that atopy is an important predictor for wheeze and bronchial hyperreactivity in middle age. However, the difference in outcome for children who had asthma compared to those who had wheeze only in the presence of infection cannot be explained by atopy alone.     

Phosphatidylinositol transfer proteins: the long and winding road to physiological function

Murine gammaherpesvirus 68 (MHV-68) is a naturally occurring herpesvirus of wild rodents and is genetically related to human herpesvirus 8 and Epstein-Barr virus. The ability of MHV-68 to establish acute and persistent infection within laboratory mice offers a unique opportunity to investigate immunological and virological aspects of gammaherpesvirus pathogenesis.