Evidence for defective skeletal mineralization in low-birthweight infants: the absorption of calcium and fat

Using serial metabolic balance techniques, the absorption and retention of calcium and the absorption of fat have beem measured over the first 30 to 70 days of life in 11 preterm and 2 full-term light-for-dates infants. They were fed either full-cream cow's milk, half-skimmed cow's milk, the proprietary filled milk S.M.A., or breast milk. The values for calcium intake, absorption and retention were compared with the rate of accumulation of calcium by the fetus in utero, which was calculated from published data on the chemical composition of fetal bodies. Infants fed breast milk had an absolute dietary deficiency of calcium. Those fed other milks ingested sufficient but they did not absorb enough. Though calcium absorption increased with increasing postnatal age, intrauterine rates of calcium retention were never achieved on any of the milks. The average retention of calcium by preterm infants as a percentage of intrauterine accumulation was, for cow's milk 38%, for S.M.A. 27%, and for breast milk 17%. The full-term light-for- dates infants absorbed and retained more calcium than the preterm infants; it was on average 52% of the amount accumulated by the human fetus for an equivalent weight gain. The average absorption of fat by preterm infants was, from the cow's milk preparations 55%, from S.M.A. 61%, and from breast milk 84%. The light-for-dates infants absorbed on average 87% of the breast milk fat. There was no evidence that the amount of calcium absorbed was materially influenced by fat malabsorption. The principal determinants of the amount of calcium absorbed were the length of gestation and postnatal age of the infant.     

A diagnostic formula for alcoholism

Clinical pathologies with unusually high morbidities in alcoholic populations were analyzed to determine their capacity to diagnose alcoholism. On the basis of five systemic variables it was possible to diagnose correctly nearly 75% of alcoholic and matched control subjects.     

The place of informed consent in ethical dilemmas

Considers ethical questions raised by the psychotherapeutic treatment of a highly religious person to be specific instances of general issues in the conduct of psychotherapy. It is stressed that the therapist has a responsibility to insure that the consent of the client is obtained under conditions of full information. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The effect of cholinergic drugs on [3H]acetylcholine release from slices of rat hippocampus, striatum and cortex

Slices from rat hippocampus, striatum or cortex were incubated with l mum [3H] choline and following 75 min superfusion with Krebs solution the efflux of radioactivity was measured. The slices were stimulated either electrically (1 Hz) or with 25 mM potassium and the rate constant of the evoked release and the size of the releasable pool were estimated. The spontaneous efflux of radioactivity and the releasable pool but not the rate of evoked release correlated with the reported endogenous ACh content of the 3 areas. Raised potassium released radioactivity at a lower rate but from a larger pool than electrical stimulation from all 3 areas. In all 3 areas atropine alone potentiated while physostigmine, oxotremorine and carbamylcholine decreased the rate of evoked release. This depression was fully antagonized by atropine. The drugs had no effect on the size of the releasable pool. Findings suggest that muscarinic receptors located on cholinergic axons or terminals have a physiological role in the autoregulation of ACh release from these 3 areas.