The acting or interim leadership position: expectations, perceptions, realities

The acting or interim leadership position has been neglected in terms of selection, role identification, and status. Individuals, programs, and organizations are paying a price for this inattention.     

The everyday realities of the multi-dimensional role of the high school community nurse.

The traditional role of the high school based community community health nurse has changed considerably over recent decades. This article describes a qualitative study, in which nine community health nurses from eight different high schools completed a diary of the interventions and events during the course of two working days in order to identify the dimensions of their role. A short demographic questionnaire was also completed by the nurses and included two open-ended questions concerning their main professional issues and concerns. The researchers sought verification of the interpretation of the data through a focus group interview with the high school nurses. Data analysis indicated that the role of the high school community health nurses (CHN) consisted of seven categories. These were provider of clinical care, counsellor/ mediator, advocacy and support, liaison/referral, health promotion/education and resource agent, and professional management and research role. The findings highlight the complex and demanding aspects of the role of the high school nurse and articulate the importance of describing the contribution of such practitioners in to the promotion of health among adolescents.     

Interactions of angiotensin IV and oxytocin on behaviour in mice.

INTRODUCTION: Angiotensin (Ang) IV enhances learning and memory in rats but there are strain differences in its effects in mice. Oxytocin (OT) also influences learning and memory in rats and mice and, in the light of the proposed effects of Ang IV on oxytocinase, the hypothesis that the effects of Ang IV on cognition in mice involve OT was tested. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The effects of Ang IV and OT, alone and combined, were determined in rat isolated uterine smooth muscle and in object recognition and forced swim tests in BKW mice. RESULTS: Ang potentiated the contractile effects of OT in the uterus. Neither peptide had any effect on object recognition nor locomotor activity. Ang IV had no effect in the forced swim test but abolished the effects of OT. CONCLUSIONS: Ang IV influences the actions of OT in vitro and in vivo, possibly by inhibition of oxytocinase, but the lack of effect of Ang IV on object recognition in BKW mice is unlikely to be a consequence of a deficiency endogenous OT. Unlike OT, Ang IV alone has no effect on learned helplessness in the forced swim test, an effect often used to predict potential antidepressant efficacy in humans.     

Relation of cortical cell orientation selectivity to alignment of receptive fields of the geniculocortical afferents that arborize within a single orientation column in ferret visual cortex

Neurons in the primary visual cortex of higher mammals are arranged in columns, and the neurons in each column respond best to light-dark borders of particular orientations. The basis of cortical cell orientation selectivity is not known. One possible mechanism would be for cortical cells to receive input from several lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) neurons with receptive fields that are aligned in the visual field (Hubel and Wiesel, 1962). We have investigated the relationship between the arrangement of the receptive fields of geniculocortical afferents and the orientation preferences of cortical cells in the orientation columns to which the afferents provide visual input. Radial microelectrode penetrations were made into primary visual cortex of anesthetized adult sable ferrets. Cortical cells were recorded throughout the depth of the cortex, and their orientation preferences were determined. Cortical cell responses were then eliminated by superfusion of the cortex with either kainic acid (Zahs and Stryker, 1988) or muscimol. After the drug treatment, responses from many single units with distinct receptive fields were recorded. These responses were presumed to be those of geniculocortical afferents, because they had the response properties characteristic of LGN neurons, and because they could be recorded only in cortical layers that receive geniculate input. In 16 of 18 cases, the afferent receptive fields recorded in a single penetration covered an elongated region of visual space. In these penetrations, the best-fit line through the centers of the afferent receptive fields generally paralleled the preferred orientation of cortical cells recorded at the same site in cortex. These results are consistent with the Hubel and Wiesel (1962) model for the construction of oriented visual cortical receptive fields from geniculate inputs with aligned receptive fields.     

Bulbo-pontine paralysis with deafness: the Vialetto-Van Laere syndrome

A Caucasian girl developed slowly progressive sensory neural deafness and bulbar and spinal muscle weakness typical of the Vialetto-Van Laere syndrome. As the condition progressed the major disabilities became dysphagia, respiratory muscle weakness and postural hypotension. Treatment with gastrostomy feedings, oxygen and fludrocortisone acetate produced worthwhile functional improvement.     

Recurrent tonsillitis. The role of Chlamydia and Mycoplasma.

The core tissue microflora of 40 patients who underwent tonsillectomies were examined with cultures, DNA probe tests, enzyme immunoassays, and direct immunofluorescence antibody tests for Chlamydia and Mycoplasma. We believe this is the largest and most accurate prospective study that has examined the role of Chlamydia and Mycoplasma in the core tonsil tissue of patients with recurrent or chronic tonsillitis. The data strongly indicate that, unlike acute tonsillopharyngitis, Chlamydia and Mycoplasma are not involved in recurrent or chronic tonsillitis.