The social consequences of expressive suppression.

At times, people keep their emotions from showing during social interactions. The authors' analysis suggests that such expressive suppression should disrupt communication and increase stress levels. To test this hypothesis, the authors conducted 2 studies in which unacquainted pairs of women discussed an upsetting topic. In Study 1, one member of each pair was randomly assigned to (a) suppress her emotional behavior, (b) respond naturally, or (c) cognitively reappraise in a way that reduced emotional responding. Suppression alone disrupted communication and magnified blood pressure responses in the suppressors' partners. In Study 2, suppression had a negative impact on the regulators' emotional experience and increased blood pressure in both regulators and their partners. Suppression also reduced rapport and inhibited relationship formation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A case of paraquat poisoning and subsequent fatality presenting to an emergency department

Paraquat (1,1'-dimethyl-4,4'-dipyridylium) is an herbicide associated with both accidental and intentional ingestion, leading to severe and often fatal toxicity. Prognosis is largely dependent on the amount of paraquat absorbed. Rapid identification of the symptoms of paraquat toxicity (burns or ulceration at the site of ingestion or injection, acute respiratory distress, and renal failure) can facilitate early treatment intervention to limit absorption. We report a case of a 71-year-old man with a suicidal ingestion of paraquat 2 days prior to presentation. Serum paraquat levels, time elapsed since ingestion, and clinical symptoms all indicated poor prognosis. The patient developed severe respiratory distress and progressive renal failure, and died 6 days after admission to the hospital.     

Human papillomavirus as an etiological factor in cervical cancer: significance for health care practice

The migration of substances from rubber packaging materials into drug products can be significant with certain packaging materials in contact with organic solvent systems. Recommendations for testing drug products for leachables are continually evolving to address new developments. Testing packaging materials using simulated solvents is not always an acceptable protocol for the pharmaceutical industry. We describe a rational strategy for evaluation of the drug product for packaging extractables. A profile of the extractables from rubber packaging materials was made with a range of organic solvents and stress conditions to provide information on substances to target in the drug product. The drug product was evaluated to determine if the matrix would cause interferences that might inhibit detection of the found extractables. Analytical methods were selected based on these findings. The procedures were validated according to FDA guidelines. A stability program using time and storage conditions as variables provided information for acceptance criteria. This same strategy can be used on other types of pharmaceuticals and packaging materials.     

Hepatitis B virus infection, hepatitis B vaccine, and hepatitis B immune globulin

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a major health problem in the United States; in 1995, approximately 128,000 cases occurred. Transmission of HBV occurs primarily by blood exchange (eg, by shared needles during injection drug use) and by sexual contact. Persons infected early in life are much more likely to become chronically infected than those infected during adulthood: as many as 90% of infants infected perinatally develop chronic infection and up to 25% will die of HBV-related chronic liver disease as adults. Clinical signs of acute hepatitis occur in about 50% of infected adults but in only 5% of infected preschool-aged children. In the United States, hepatitis B vaccine is currently made by recombinant DNA technology using baker's yeast. Preexposure vaccination results in protective antibody levels in almost all infants and children (> 95%) and healthy adults younger than 40 years of age (> 90%). The most common adverse event following administration of hepatitis B vaccine is pain at the injection site, which occurs in 13% to 29% of adult and 3% to 9% of children. A comprehensive hepatitis B vaccination policy is now recommended that includes (1) routine infant vaccination; (2) catch-up vaccination of 11- to 12-year-olds who were not previously vaccinated; (3) catch-up vaccination of young children at high risk for infection; (4) vaccination of adolescents and adults based on lifestyle or environmental, medical, and occupational situations that place them at risk; and (5) prevention of perinatal HBV infection.     

Study of Desorption and Adsorption During Grain Aeration

One requirement in designing and operating and operating system is to minimize the moisture change in stored grain. Moisture transfer during the aeration process is generally believed to be caused by the partial pressure difference between water in grain and water in air (P₃-P₄). A mathematical model was developed for rough rice, which predicts the partial pressure difference under various grain and ambient conditions. Observations of moisture change over 10 aeration tests confirmed the good correlation between sorption phenomena and partial pressure differences. Studies indicated that air relative humidity, air temperature, grain temperature and grain moisture are significant factors influencing the partial pressure differences and, thus, affecting     

A bench-scale study on biodegradation and volatilization of ethylbenzoate in aquifers

Experiments were conducted to investigate the fate of ethylbenzoate and soil microorganisms in shallow aquifers. Biodegradation and volatilization have been identified as the major mechanisms in attenuating ethylbenzoate in contaminated soils. The rate of volatilization was experimentally found to be limited by gas-phase diffusion. The parameters of an available model, i.e., the maximum specific growth rate and the saturation constant, have been estimated by fitting the model to the experimental data obtained with ethylbenzoate as the carbon source; the former was 0.49 h⁻¹, and the latter was 62 mg L⁻¹. Various facets of biodegradation, including the effects of mass-transfer resistance and initial distribution of microorganisms, have been numerically analyzed on the basis of the model.