Clinical value of detection of L forms of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in patients with residual tuberculous changes in the lungs

To clarify the role of M. tuberculosis L-form in a recurring tuberculous process in subjects with residual tuberculous changes in the lungs, microbiological, ++clinico-roentgenological and laboratory examinations of 1651 persons recorded as having VIIA, VIIB, III and 0 groups were undertaken. The causative agent of tuberculosis was isolated in a typical bacillary and L-transformed forms in 3.1 and 5.0% of the screened persons, respectively. Active respiratory tuberculosis was diagnosed in 64.7% of sputum-positive patients, including 86.3% of them as bacillary carriers and 42.7% of those excreting L-forms of the tuberculosis agent. The detection of biologically altered forms of the causative agent indicates a potential activity of the process and requires an intensified medical examination control and differential prevention activities.     

Colonic function in rural and urban populations of Turkey

Two Turkish populations, one with an urban background and the other rural, were compared in regard to their colonic function. Rural subjects consume a diet with higher fiber than urban people in Turkey. The rural group had a greater daily fecal output, faster intestinal transit, and lower intraluminal pressure, with a greater output of calcium in the feces than those living in an urban area in Turkey. The effects are similar to those described when fiber is added to the diet. Urban dwellers in Turkey who lack these effects are said to have a rising incidence of fiber-related diseases of the colon, such as diverticular disease.     

Treatment seeking in populations in urban and rural settings on the border

BACKGROUND: Only a small proportion of persons with alcohol or drug problems seek help in the form of treatment for these problems. To examine service disparities among Hispanics living in urban and rural border areas, an improved understanding of factors associated with service seeking is needed for this population. METHODS: In-person interviews were conducted with a sample of 1,200 colonia residents and urban residents living along the Texas border with Mexico. For the present study, the dataset was limited to Hispanic respondents (85% of the sample) and those who reported any indicator of need for treatment (38% of the sample). There were 380 respondents who met these criteria. Treatment seeking was measured by any past attempt, successful or unsuccessful, to obtain treatment or by their present stated desire for treatment. Factors influencing treatment seeking were compared across 3 sites. RESULTS: Path analyses indicated that, after taking demographics into account, severity of need (the total number of drug-related and alcohol-related problems experienced by an individual) was a strong influence on treatment seeking, but income-related variables were more influential than severity of need in 1 site. Generation of immigration was positively related to treatment seeking in 2 sites, and in colonias, high religiosity was related to treatment seeking. In 2 sites, need severity was related to neighborhood variables. In colonias, need severity was related to low income and low religiosity. CONCLUSIONS: This framework for understanding treatment seeking in border communities suggests that pathways to treatment seeking vary by locality in ways that may reflect variations in local environments and service systems. Design of outreach efforts should be tailored to the unique social and service system challenges of each local community. Although service seeking is low overall, findings are suggestive of an inequitable service access structure in 1 site where need is not the predominant factor for treatment seeking.     

Alcohol intake and hypertension among urban and rural Japanese populations

A significant positive relationship was found between alcohol intake and blood pressure for men 40-69 years old living in urban Osaka (492 men) and in rural Akita (395 men), Japan, surveyed from 1975 to 1977. Both mean blood pressure and the prevalence of hypertension were related to alcohol intake in a graded fashion. Stepwise multiple regression also showed that both systolic and diastolic pressure were associated with alcohol intake independent of ponderosity index, serum cholesterol, triglycerides, hemoglobin, uric acid, smoking, and age. This cross-sectional study indicates a continuous--and not a threshold--relationship between alcohol and blood pressure, with the effect of even moderate consumption, e.g. 28-55 g per day (equivalent to about 2-4 U.S. drinks per day).