Evaluation of nutritional status by immunologic assessment in bulimia nervosa: influence of body mass index and vomiting episodes

The nutritional status of 21 patients suffering from bulimia nervosa was evaluated by anthropometric and immunologic indexes in comparison with a control group (n = 15). In addition, the influence of body mass index (BMI; in kg/m2) values and vomiting episodes on the nutritional status of bulimic patients was assessed. Anthropometry showed no signs of malnutrition in either group, except for those patients with low weights (BMI < 19). Bulimic patients had lower lymphocyte counts than did control subjects, except for those without vomiting (NVBN). All T lymphocyte subsets tested as well as CD57 cells were lower (22% and 55%, respectively) in bulimic patients than in control subjects, but the CD19 cell subset remained unmodified. The low-weight bulimic group (LWBN) had lower CD4 cell counts than did the normal-weight (BMI > 19) bulimic group. The NVBN group had lymphocyte subpopulations similar to those in the control group, except for CD57, which was lower. The bulimic patients with vomiting had the lowest cell subset values. These results suggest a depleted nutritional status in all bulimic patients studied, even those with normal weights. The LWBN group had the most depleted nutritional status and the NVBN group was least affected at a subclinical level. CD57 can be considered a good marker of nutritional status in this syndrome because it was the only subpopulation altered in all groups.     

Propagation of vinyl polymers on clay surfaces. II. Polymerization of monomers initiated by free radicals attached to clay

The adduct of Kaolin and 2,2′-azobisisobutyramidine hydrochloride has been used to initiate the polymerization of methyl methacrylate, styrene, styrene-butadiene, vinyl acetate, chloroprene, acrylamide, and acrylonitrile. Both extractable and nonextractable polymers are obtained. The adduct of bentonite and 2,2′-azobisisobutyramidine hydrochloride will initiate the polymerization of methyl methacrylate, acrylamide, vinyl acetate, 4-vinylpridine, and styrene. Both extractable and nonextractable polymers are formed. When the bentonite or the hectorite adducts are more than 99% decomposed prior to the addition of methyl methacrylate, essentially no extractable polymer is formed, but an increased quantity of nonextractable polymer is produced. This is probably due to an increased accessibility of the monomer to the clay's interior surface and a decrease in the rate of chain termination. As is the case of the kaolin adduct, the clay surface of bentonite appears to accelerate the chain growth considerably.     

Optimalisation de certains traitements numériques avec une forme quadratique

When processing some given signals it is very often necessary to filter and then square this signal. When the signal is continuous these two operations are performed separately by analogous means; equivalent digital procedures are possible and have been already proposed. The authors considered whether this treatment could not be done with better results in one single digital operation, with respect to two specific problems : power spectrum estimation, and finite time variance estimation (particularly useful to specify oscillators stability). For this second problem they found some advantage to use this more general treatment, while for the first this approach does not bring any advantage. They proposed an optimal choice for this new approach by using a least mean squares method, where the choice of a window gauge is made according to the required accuracy.     

Heat transfer, momentum losses and flow mixing in a 61-tube bundle with wire-wrap

Friction factors and heat transfer coefficients were obtained in the laminar and turbulent regions for a 61-tube wire-wrapped hexagonal bundle in a water flow loop. Circumferential static pressure and temperature profiles of tubes, and the flow patterns produced by injection of dye at the periphery of the bundle revealed a strong local effect of the wire-wrap. The increase in heat and momentum transfer resulting from the wire-wrap was more pronounced in the laminar region than in the turbulent region. Correlations for the friction factors and Nusselt numbers were developed from the data and compared with the literature.     

Effects of fish oil,corn oil and lard diets on lipid peroxidation status and glutathione peroxidase activities in rat heart

In this study, we investigated the effect of various types of fats on heart lipid peroxidation status and on blood lipid parameters. Rats were fed either a low-fat diet (2.2% lard plus 2.2% corn oil), a corn oil diet (17%), a salmon oil diet (12.5%) supplemented with 4.5% corn oil, or a lard diet (15%) supplemented with 2% corn oil. All diets were supplemented with 1% cholesterol. Rats were fed for eight weeks. When compared with the low-fat diet, the salmon oil-diet intake resulted in a lower blood cholesterol, triglyceride and phospholipid concentrations (−50, −56 and −30%, respectively). Corn oil only tended to lower blood lipids; this decrease was significant for triglycerides only (−40%). The hypocholesterolemic effect of salmon oil diet is even more pronounced, if blood cholesterol values are compared with those of rats fed the lard diet. Heart lipid composition was not affected by dietary manipulations. Fatty acid composition of cardiac phosphatidylcholines and phosphatidylethanolamines, however, were altered by high-fat diets. In phosphatidylcholine, salmon oil induced a twelvefold decrease in the n−6/n−3 ratio and a 26% increase in the unsaturation index. For phosphatidylethanolamine, the n−6/n−3 ratio decreased 7.7-fold and the unsaturation index increased by 13%. A 50% decrease of the n−6/n−3 ratio was observed in animals fed the lard diet. Ultramicroscopic examination of ventricles revealed that those of the salmon oil group significantly accumulated lipofuscin-like or ceroid material, whereas this accumulation was barely detectable in hearts of the other groups. Seleniumdependent glutathione peroxidase activity tended to be the highest in hearts of rats fed the salmon oil diet; this increase is significant (+36% and +54% for total and specific activities, respectively), if values are compared with those of the rats fed the lard diet. Liver glutathione peroxidase and heart glutathione S-transferases activities remained unchanged. These results indicate that fish oil did not lower the selenium involved in glutathione peroxidase activity. This rules out that a deficiency in this enzyme was at the origin of heart lipofuscinosis. Also, it is concluded that the n−6/n−3 ratio of the diet is likely more determinant in the alteration of heart lipid peroxidation status than is the polyunsaturated/saturated ratio. Part of this work was presented at the International Congress: “Selenium in Medicine and Biology,” Avoriaz, France, March, 15–18, 1988.     

Social roles and strategies in prediction: Some determinants of the use of base-rate information.

Three experiments examined the proposition that the underuse of base-rate information in predictions is due to differential judgmental orientations induced by either the context of the problem or the formulation of the problem and the features of the base-rate information. In Exp I with 40 undergraduates, a scientific or clinical judgmental orientation was experimentally induced in Ss. In subsequent prediction tasks, scientific Ss assigned much greater weight to base-rate information than clinical Ss. In Exp II with 20 1st-yr medical students and 20 residents, the effects of differential orientations were explored in a natural context among medical doctors. Medical students committed the ordinary base-rate fallacy, but residents showed a reversal of the effect and overused base-rate information in their predictions. Exp III, with 20 undergraduates, showed that Ss also appropriately employed base rates with general applicability that were indicators of the strength of a phenomenon. Findings suggest the considerable context-sensitivity of inferential judgments and the need to study people's decision criteria and objectives as determinants of the strategies and information used in predictions. (28 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Surface pH and stability of oil-water emulsions derived from laurate solutions

Emulsion stability, electrophoretic mobility, and interfacial tension of chloroform, cyclohexane, and n-hexadecane-potassium laurate solution were determined as a function of acidification by concentrated HCl. The stability of these emulsions were related to the presence or absence of lauric acid at the interface. It was found that a lauric acid-laurate interfacial film was responsible for the enhanced stability in the case of cyclohexane and n-hexadecane emulsions, while no such mixed film existed in the case of chloroform. The interfacial ionization markedly affects the distribution of ions in solution closer to the interface. The concept of surface pH was applied. Differences of up to 2 pH units between bulk and surfaces were found with these systems. Both cyclohexane and hexadecane have major stability peaks which lie at ca. the same surface pH of 5.9 ± 0.2, irrespective of the initial potassium laurate concentration or bulk pH. It is concluded that the stability of these emulsions can be explained when the role played by the interfacial ionization is taken into consideration.     

Effect of inclusions on size of surface flaws in glass-crystal composites

Indentation fracture studies were conducted on three sodium borosilicate glasses containing a dispersed phase of alumina inclusions with different degrees of thermal expansion mismatch between the glass matrices and the alumina. The alumina inclusions were found to cause a significant decrease in the size of the indentation cracks compared to those in the glass. This effect was greatest at the higher values of indentation load, which resulted in cracks of dimensions of sufficient size that their propagation was impeded by the tougher alumina dispersions. The fracture toughness for the composite samples calculated from the indentation data showed a significant increase with increasing crack size. For the smallest cracks in these composites, the value for fracture toughness was well below the value obtained in an earlier study by the single-edge notch-beam technique. The fracture toughness for the larger crack sizes which interacted with the alumina dispersions showed excellent agreement with the notch-beam data. The residual stresses due to the thermal expansion mismatch appeared to lead to a slight increase in the mean crack size regardless of the direction of thermal expansion mismatch.