Detection of alpha thalassaemia in Negro infants

A prospective study of 2191 Negro infants in Jamaica showed that approximately 7% of them had detectable levels of Hb Bart's (gamma 4) in the neonatal period. The red cell indices, globin chain biosynthesis and restriction endonuclease mapping of DNA from these infants were used to determine the significance of Hb Bart's at birth. The results indicate that the genotypes alpha alpha/alpha alpha, -- alpha/alpha alpha and -- alpha/ -- alpha are associated with 0%, 0.1-2%, and greater than 2% Hb Bart's respectively. Although trace amounts of Hb Bart's may be associated with the genotype -- alpha/alpha alpha this is not always the case and therefore haemoglobin analysis in the neonatal period cannot be used to diagnose this genotype with any certainty.     

Decadron in the treatment of cerebral abscess. An experimental study

Forty rabbits were inoculated with Streptococcus pyogenes or Staphylococcus aureus to produce cerebral abscesses. One-third of the rabbits received no treatment and served as controls. One-third received dexamethasone (Decadron) plus an appropriate antibiotic. One-third received only the appropriate antibiotic in the same dosage. The animals were sacrificed 10 days after inoculation and the brains examined. In the control group, an abscess at the stage of granulation tissue encapsulation containing the inoculated organisms was found. The surrounding brain showed a marked inflammatory response. In the Decadron plus antibiotic group, necrotic lesions were found containing the inoculated organisms and surrounded by relatively normal brain. In the group treated with antibiotic alone, healed glial scars were found in relatively normal brain. Our findings are discussed with reference to the medical literature regarding the influence of glucocorticoids on the inflammatory response and the efficacy of antibiotics when this response is suppressed.     

Simulation of rolling friction in the working stands of wide-strip mills

The energy consumed for rolling friction in the interroll contact area in the working stands of cold-rolling and pinch-pass mils intended for the production of wide steel strips has been analyzed. The coefficients and power of rolling friction are obtained for the first time using the databases of the process control systems of operating mills and simulating these quantities. A statistically reliable regression relation is obtained between the coefficient of rolling friction and the significant parameters of rolling and skin rolling (i.e., the interroll force, the roll speed, and the roll body roughness). The power fraction consumed for rolling friction is found to reach 60–80% of the total power of the main drive of working stands for skin rolling and 30–50% for cold rolling. Therefore, it is necessary to take into account these power losses in designing mills and developing technological cold-rolling conditions.     

Therapist Alienation: Foreseeing and Forestalling Third-Party Dynamics Undermining Psychotherapy With Children of Conflicted Caregivers.

The phenomena of impasse and rupture in the psychotherapy relationship have been discussed mostly in terms of the dynamics of the therapist-patient dyad. Therapist alienation identifies the disruptive impact of third-party contamination of the patient's therapeutic alliance with the therapist. Therapist alienation and its intrafamilial cousin, parental alienation, are examined here from an attachment perspective, emphasizing the role of the cognitive schemas underlying each relationship. Case examples are drawn from the author's experience conducting psychotherapy with children of highly conflicted caregivers. Specific recommendations are offered to minimize the likelihood of therapeutic rupture due to therapist alienation. How to respond when and if therapist alienation is suspected and future directions for clinical work, empirical research, and legal process are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Acridine orange fluorescence cytochemistry for detecting lymphocyte immunoreactivity

Acridine orange staining reveals changes within 3 hours of in vitro stimulation of normal rat lymphocytes with mitogens, and of immune rat lymphocytes with the sensitizing antigen. An increased number of red fluorescent cytoplasmic organelles, presumably lysosomes are seen by fluorescence microscopy. Fluorimetry of the supernatants from stained cell suspensions suggests an overall decreased cell uptake of the dye. The microscopy and fluorimetry detected early events in the reaction of lymphocytes from tumour-bearing rats with the target tumour cells. It would appear that the changes in intracellular behaviour of the dye and in overall cell uptake after immune stimulation are a reflection of dissociated variations in internal and external cell membrane permeability, and may provide simple general means for recognizing cellular immune reactions.