Drinking and smoking behavior of hospitalized medical patients

In a sample of hospitalized medical patients, problem drinking was found to be associated with heavy smoking.     

Phase equilibria and countercurrent distribution

Ternary diagrams for methyl oleate/hexane/acetonitrile and methyl palmitate/hexane/acetonitrile systems were constructed from equilibria data obtained at 20.0 and 30.4C. The diagrams varied significantly with temperature; both systems showed expanded regions of immiscibility at the lower temperature. Both the partition coefficient of the methyl ester and the mutual solubility of hexane and acetonitrile, at each temperature, varied with ester concentration in the system. At high ester concentration, an inversion of the phases was observed. The countercurrent distribution of these compounds, as influenced by these effects, is discussed.     

An approach to cardiac malposition and the heterotaxy syndrome using 99mTc sulfur colloid imaging

A diagnostic approach to cardiac malposition and the heterotaxy syndrome is outlined. The 99mTc sulfur colloid intravenous forward angiocardiogram and plain chest radiograph are used to determine the two key diagnostic points: position of the venous atrium and stomach. If located on the opposite sides of the body, four basic situs configurations are possible, and the presence of associated cardiac anomalies may be predicted. For the two configurations in which the cardiac apex is on the same side as the stomach, the incidence of associated cardiac anomalies is low; when on opposite sides, the indicence is high. If the venous atrium and stomach are on the same side, then abdominal heterotaxy with associated splenic abnormality is present. Dynamic 99mTc sulfur colloid imaging will usually show interruption of the inferior vena cava, if present, and multiple or absent spleens.     

Laboratory confirmation of the diagnosis of cystic fibrosis

The recent commercial introduction of a method for detecting albumin in meconium makes screening for cystic fibrosis feasible for many hospitals. If the tests is adopted, confirmatory tests should be available. Quantitative analyses of sweat for sodium by flame photometry and for chloride by silver titration and ion-sleective electrodes are now used as confirmatory tests. We compare results of these confirmatory methods applied to presons with cystic fibrosis, respiratory disorders, or digestive disorders, and to control subjects.     

Embolic pulmonary aneurysms in yearling feedlot cattle

Throughout all of 1974, we surveyed, for illnesses and deaths, about 407,000 yearling feedlot cattle. Of 1,988 cattle necropsied, 25 (1.3%) had ruptured pulmonary aneurysms and an additional 4 had gross pulmonary emboli without rupture. The emboli originated from thrombi in the caudal vena cava where that vessel closely applies to the left border of the liver and where parenchymal abscesses had developed. The emboli had lodged in the pulmonary artery, weakened its wall, and led to saccular aneurysms. Infection weakened and blood pressure ruptured the saccule and opened the adjacent bronchi. Extravasated blood dissected the tunica adventitia, formed hematomas, poured into the bronchus, and was expelled from the larynx. A portion was swallowed into the rumen, and some was coughed and blown from the nose and mouth. Deaths were attributed to exsanguination and pulmonary incapacitation.     

The effect of vinblastine-induced microtubule loss on kidney podocyte morphology

Plasma from cattle infected with Babesia bigemina contained soluble fibrin in monomer and high molecular weight complex forms. Fibrin(ogen) degradation products were not constantly detected and there appeared to be little or no evidence to suggest fibrinolysis or fibrin deposition. It is suggested that classical disseminated intravascular coagulation does not occur during B. bigemina infection.     

Measurement of potassium and chloride ion concentrations in the cupulae of the lateral lines of Xenopus laevis

1. Potential measurements were made with double barrel ion selective electrodes from the cupulae of lateral line organs in the aquatic toad Xenopus laevis. 2. A positive endocupular potential (ECP) of 15-50 mV was recorded within the cupula, immediately above the hair cells. 3. Increases in the Cl- and K+ potentials were recorded when the ion selective electrodes touched the cupula. Cupular Cl- and K+ varied between 35 and 70 mM and 24 and 100 mM respectively. This variation existed between, rather than within, different animals. 4. Subcutaneous injections of 0-4 ml. 2 mM ouabain greatly reduced the ECP and cupular K+, whereas 0-4 ml. of Xenopus Ringer had no effect. 5. Changing the bath Cl- a hundredfold had no effect on the ECP. It was concluded that the ECP was produced by an electrogenic K+ pump which maintained high K+ levels within the cupula.     

Subunit symmetry of tetrameric phosphorylase a

Native crystallographic data of tetrameric phosphorylase a crystals, space group P21, have been collected photographically to 3 A resolution. These data have been used in Patterson search methods in reciprocal and real space. The tetramers were found to exhibit molecular 222 symmetry. The cross vector between the centres of the two symmetry related tetramers in the unit cell was determined by two different translation function methods. On the basis of these rotation and translation function results a model for the arrangement of monomers within the tetramer and of tetramers in the unit cell is proposed; The 222 symmetry of the tetrameric molecule is found only when high resolution diffraction data are included (i.e. higher than 6 A). At lower resolution other symmetries dominate. Calculations with the proposed model have shown that these spurious symmetries result from the nonspecific overlap of protein-protein and solvent-solvent cross vectors. These results emphasize the importance of high resolution data when noncrystallographic symmetry of globular proteins is studied.     

Immunologic and electrophoretic characteristics of two species of Crithidia

Crithidia harmosa and Crithidia fasciculata were compared immunologically by the indirect fluorescent antibody (FA) method and by agglutination. The FA technic yielded more specific results with cellular-debris than with whole-cell antigens. The immune sera collected from chickens 9 days after the last inoculations with whole-cell antigens had higher homologous titers than those collected after 4 days. Major antigenic differences between the 2 species were revealed by both methods. The electrophoretic patterns of C. harmosa and C. fasciculata obtained by polyacrylamide gel slab electrophoresis differed in the numbers and relative mobilities of their component bands.