Organization and occupation influences in the attraction–selection–attrition process.

This study tested predictions from B. Schneider's (1987) attraction–selection–attrition (ASA) model across 5 organizations (n?=?681). Organization membership and occupational attributes interacted with individuals' turnover intentions to predict several personality variables. Relationships among organization membership, occupation type, and personality were partially mediated by perceived structure. The 3-way interaction analyses indicated that occupation type may compensate for the effects of organizational characteristics in making particular traits more suitable for a given organization. The overall pattern of findings supports the more general ASA predictions, but the findings also suggest a need to develop a more refined conceptualization of the trait homogenization process. The authors also discuss what trait homogenization processes may imply about interpreting findings in organizational behavior research in general and better understanding organizational diversity, culture, and organizations' capabilities in responding to change. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Asthma health status measurement in clinical practice: validity of a new short and simple instrument

Health status (Quality of Life) questionnaires for use in asthma are generally too long or complex for routine use. A new short and simple measure of health status in asthma has been developed for this purpose. There are two versions, one containing 30 items (AQ30) and the other 20 items (AQ20). This study examined their cross-sectional and longitudinal properties and compared them with those of two established measures--the St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) and the Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (AQLQ). Ninety asthmatic patients (mean age 46 years) participated. Mean post-bronchodilator forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) was 73 +/- 25 (SD)% predicted at baseline. Questionnaire data were collected twice, 12 weeks apart. Diary records of peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) and daily asthma were kept for 14 days. The new questionnaires each took 3 min or less to complete. At baseline they correlated well with the SGRQ and AQLQ and showed the same pattern of correlations with clinical measures of asthma. Change scores for the new questionnaires correlated with those for the established measures. There was no advantage of the AQ30 over the AQ20. The AQ20 provides a simple method for obtaining valid health status estimates of asthmatics in routine clinical practice and has properties similar to more complex research instruments.     

Hereditary hemochromatosis

Genetic (hereditary) hemochromatosis is probably the most common autosomal recessive disorder found in white Americans, of whom about 5/1,000 (0.5 percent) are homozygous for the associated gene. The hemochromatosis gene is probably located close to the HLA-A locus on the short arm of chromosome 6. Homozygous individuals may develop severe and potentially lethal hemochromatosis, especially after age 39. Hereditary hemochromatosis involves an increased rate of iron absorption from the gut with subsequent progressive storage of iron in soft organs of the body. Excess iron storage eventually produces pituitary, pancreatic, cardiac, and liver dysfunction and death may result from cardiac arrhythmias, congestive heart failure, and/or hepatic failure or cancer. Early diagnosis can prevent these excess iron-induced problems. Iron overload owing to HLA-linked hereditary hemochromatosis can be distinguished from other causes of hemochromatosis by liver biopsies and interpretations. Patients at risk for genetic hemochromatosis should be screened, identified, and treated as early as age 20 to prevent or minimize the deadly complications of hemochromatosis. Population screening should include measurements of serum iron concentration, total iron binding capacity (TIBC), percent saturation of transferrin, and serum ferritin concentrations. Family members of hereditary hemochromatosis patients are at increased risk and should be tested. Screening, identification and early treatment (phlebotomies, sometimes in combination with the use of Desferal or other iron-chelating agents) may help prevent or reduce iron-related organ damage and premature deaths. Early diagnosis and treatment will reduce the population of aging individuals with severe, complicated hemochromatosis and dramatically reduce medical costs (billions of U.S. dollars per annum) associated with the management of this disease.     

Utility of low mA 1.5 pitch helical versus conventional high mA abdominal CT

We treated nine patients of mycoplasmal pneumonia with sparfloxacin (SPFX) the clinical efficacy, safety and usefulness of SPFX were evaluated. SPFX was administered orally at doses of 200 or 300 mg once daily, and we performed bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) examinations in five patients. BAL was performed 5 hours after oral administration of 100 mg in one case, 19 hours after oral administration of 200 mg in four cases. Concentrations of SPFX and alubumine were measured in serum and in BALF (bronchoalveolar lavage fluid). The following results were obtained. 1. Nine patients were evaluated; eight patients judged as Good, one patient as Excellent. 2. The serum and BALF levels of SPFX was 0.79 microgram/ml, 0.107 microgram/ml 5 hours after single oral administration of 100 mg in one case and 19 hours after oral administration of 200 mg in four cases, those of levels of SPFX were 0.835 +/- 0.274 microgram/ml and 0.081 +/- 0.033 microgram/ml, respectively. 3. The ratio of SPFX/albumin in BALF was significantly higher than in the serum. From these results, we consider that SPFX is a useful antimicrobial agent for mycoplasmal pneumonia.     

A new short practical quality of life questionnaire for use in head and neck oncology outpatient clinics

A new short questionnaire to assess the quality of life of head and neck patients has been designed at the University of Liverpool Head and Neck Oncology Department. The questionnaire is short, simple and can be easily completed by a patient whilst in the waiting room before consultation. It is filled in 6 months after completion of treatment and shows very good correlation with the standard long exhaustive questionnaires that are difficult to complete on every patient in a busy National Health Service clinic. The University of Liverpool questionnaire provides a simple score from 0%-100% which should prove valuable in the assessment of quality of care and help with decisions regarding treatment options in head and neck cancer patients.     

Production of monoclonal antibodies specific to Clostridium botulinum type B neurotoxin

Four monoclonal antibodies were produced for use in a rapid method to detect Clostridium botulinum type B neurotoxin. Cells of mouse myeloma cell line SP2/0 were fused with splenocytes of immunized BALB/c mice. An immunoblot assay of semipurified commercial neurotoxins of C. botulinum types A, B, C, D, E, and F was used to show specificity. All the monoclonal antibodies reacted with type B neurotoxin but did not cross-react with the other types. The monoclonal antibodies, separately and combined, did not neutralize the toxin in mice, and all showed specificity to the whole neurotoxin molecule and the heavy-chain component by immunoblot. No evidence of specific binding to the hemagglutinin molecule was noted. When tested against concentrated cultured supernatants of C. botulinum types A, B, E, and F, the 4 monoclonal antibodies reacted only against type B strains. They will be incorporated into a rapid assay with other specific monoclonal antibodies to detect C. botulinum neurotoxins from pure cultures or suspect foods.     

Maternal serum inhibin A can predict pre-eclampsia

A 60-year-old male patient was urgently admitted to the hospital with chest pain, anemia and shock. The echocardiographic examination revealed myocardial tamponade and, unexpectedly, a mobile mass in the right atrium, prolapsing in the right ventricle which was indicative of myxoma. The patient underwent pericardiocentesis which showed the presence of blood. Cardiac surgery was then performed to remove the tumor which was found to originate in the right atrial appendage. There were some adhesions between the atrial appendage and the anterior wall of the right ventricle. The tamponade was due to a trauma of some small pericardial arteries in the adhesion area. The presence of tamponade and right atrial myxoma, is the peculiar finding of the reported case.