Introduction to the AFDC program. Aid to Families with Dependent Children

The NADYA Group, integrated in the Spanish Society of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (SENPE), and made up of professionals dedicated to Artificial Nutrition, and specifically, to Artificial Nutrition in the home, annually undertakes the task of collecting data on diagnosis, type of support, follow up characteristics, complications, and quality of life, of patients included in programs of at home artificial nutrition in Spain. In the Annual Register corresponding to 1994, 17 hospitality groups have participated, providing 369 patients with Home Enteral Nutrition, and 30 with Home Parenteral Nutrition. Home Enteral Nutrition is mainly applied in patients with neoplasias (36%) or neurological alterations (35%). The most commonly used access route in the nasogastric tube, although there is an observed increase in the application of Percutaneous Gastrostomies (21%) in relation to previous data of the Spanish population. There is an observed complications index of 0.07 episodes/patient-year, a mortality of 30% (neoplasias) and 20% (neurological alterations), and low rehabilitation indexes in this group. In Home Parenteral Nutrition, post-radiation enteritis, neoplasias, and mesenteric ischemia, are the main diagnostic groups. The majority of the patients have a tunneled tube (63%), with 37% using an implanted tube. With an index of hospitalizations of 0.83 hospitalizations/ patient-year, catheter septicemia justifies the majority of the re-hospitalizations derived from nutritional treatment (0.56 hospitalizations/patient-year), note the mortality of 37%. There are complete rehabilitations, continuing the previously normal activity in 80% of the cases.     

Identification of a novel endogenous memory facilitating cyclic dipeptide cyclo-prolylglycine in rat brain

Using high-performance liquid chromatography, gas-chromatography and chromato-mass spectrometry methods a novel endogenous cyclic dipeptide cyclo-prolylglycine was identified in rat brain. Its content according to gas chromatography is 2.8 +/- 0.3 nmol/g wet brain. Synthetic cyclo-prolylglycine has demonstrated antiamnesic activity in the passive avoidance test in rats at a dose of 0.1 mg/kg i.p. Cyclic dipeptide cyclo-prolylglycine seems to be a memory facilitating substance and its presence in rat brain suggests the existence of a new mechanism of memory regulation.     

Production and perception of final consonant voicing in speech produced by inexperienced signers during simultaneous communication

Simultaneous communications combines both spoken and manual modes to produce each word of an utterance. This study investigated the potential influence of alterations in the temporal structure of speech produced by inexperienced signers during simultaneous communication on the perception of final consonant voicing. Inexperienced signers recorded words that differed only in the voicing characteristic of the final consonant under two conditions: (1) speech alone and (2) simultaneous communication. The words were subsequently digitally edited to remove the final consonant and played to 20 listeners who, in a forced-choice paradigm, circled the word they thought they heard. Results indicated that accurate perception of final consonant voicing was not impaired by changes in the temporal structure of speech that accompanied the inexperienced signers' simultaneous communication.     

Ultrasound screening for deep venous thrombosis after total knee arthroplasty. 2-year reassessment

The efficacy of ultrasound compared with ascending venography for the detection of deep venous thrombosis immediately after total knee arthroplasty was assessed after a 2-year interval. One hundred thirty-seven patients were eligible for the study; however, 31 patients received only one of the screening methods and a color Doppler examination was inconclusive in six patients. Therefore, 100 patients had a Doppler examination and a venogram. Overall, the sensitivity of ultrasound was 85%, the specificity 97%, the positive predictive value 85%, the negative predictive value 97%, and the accuracy 95%. The sensitivity in the calf was 83%, in the popliteal vein 86%, and in the femoral vein 100%. Two years ago, the initial assessment of ultrasound for the detection of deep venous thrombosis after surgery in patients who had total joint arthroplasty revealed a 75% sensitivity, 99% specificity, 91% positive predictive value, 97% negative predictive value, and 97% accuracy. The sensitivity in the calf was 83%; the sensitivity in the popliteal vein was 40%; and the sensitivity in the femoral vein was 50%. After 2 years of using this screening test with one technician and one radiologist, an improvement with this noninvasive technique was shown. However, it was found that Doppler imaging is not as sensitive as venography for detecting calf thrombi. Any imaging technique should be validated by each institution to determine the validity of the instrument and the learning curve of the technician administering the examination.     

Differentiation of two strains of Mycoplasma gallisepticum with monoclonal antibodies and flow cytometry

Identification of infecting Mycoplasma spp. is difficult and not routine for strain. This paper describes a procedure for the rapid identification of the strain of M. gallisepticum. Monoclonal antibodies were prepared against M. gallisepticum F and M. gallisepticum S6. Aliquots of 24-hour broth cultures of these organisms were incubated briefly with either of the monoclonal antibodies. A second incubation was made with anti-mouse immunoglobulin conjugated to fluorescein isothiocyanate. Fluorescent intensity associated with the organisms was measured with a flow cytometer. The criterion for identification was a comparative increase in fluorescent intensity when the strain and monoclonal antibody were homologous. The procedure correctly differentiated the F and S6 strains of M. gallisepticum in a blind study.