Possible Species Differences in RNA Metabolism of Lymph Node Cells

Differences in the rates of incorporation of tritiated uridine U-H³ oflymph node cells of different species have been found. Plasma cells fromhumans, guinea pigs, mice, and rabbits have a higher rate of incorporationof U-H³ than do plasma cells from rats, whereas human blast cells have alower rate of U-H³ incorporation than blast cells from the various rodents.

Submitted on July 31, 1964 Accepted on October 12, 1964     

Cigarette smoking and cognitive performance

While some investigations into the relationship between smoking and cognitive performance have reported that smoking facilitates performance, other research has come to the opposite conclusion. A review of the literature suggests that this variance in results may be due to differences among studies in design (comparing smokers only with deprived smokers rather than with non-smokers) and also to differences in task demands. Therefore, performance of smokers having just smoked, matched smokers deprived for a brief period, and also non-smokers was contrasted on a series of tasks which ranged from repetitive and perceptually-bound tasks to complex, dynamic tasks dependent upon long-term memory. It was found that while cigarette smoking had no negative effect upon performance for simple perceptual tasks, smoking was found to exert measurable negative effects upon performance for more complex information processing tasks.     

Pharmacists' and pre-registration pharmacy graduates' views of proxy consultations

Proxy consultations, when a customer seeks advice or requests a medicine on behalf of someone else, account for up to one-third of all visits to a community pharmacy. A combined qualitative and quantitative approach was taken to explore pharmacy staff perceptions, and management of, proxy consultations and the use of protocols. Based upon the results of 12 qualitative interviews, a postal questionnaire was designed and sent to 100 randomly selected community pharmacists and 100 pre-registration pharmacy graduates. Fifty-five pharmacists and 44 pre-registration pharmacy graduates (49.5 per cent overall) completed the questionnaire. Respondents cited lack of information about the patient concerning their clinical condition, symptoms or medication as particular difficulties when managing proxy consultations. Respondents offered nine strategies for coping with proxy consultations, including checking the patient medication record, obtaining additional information from the proxy customer and ringing the patient directly. Eighty-six respondents (88 per cent) thought they were more cautious when selling medicines to proxy customers. Most respondents (N=69) felt that their protocols took account of proxy customers although the majority (N=91) also thought they had to be flexible when using protocols in proxy consultations. Proxy consultations are an area of practice which merit future pharmacy practice research.     

A COMPARISON OF LOW DOSE LEVAMISOLE and PENICILLAMINE IN RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS

Levamisole (150 mg once weekly) was compared with penicillamine (250 mg daily) in a single blind independent observer study in 28 patients with rheumatoid arthritis over twelve months. Fifty percent (8/16) of patients stopped levamisole, five within three months of starting, while only two of twelve stopped penicillamine. In those patients able to tolerate treatment for twelve months, both regimes produced a significant and comparable reduction in disease activity, with the onset of action of penicillamine occurring at three months compared with six to nine months for levamisole. Radiological progression of disease occurred in both groups. Levamisole in low dose may improve parameters of disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis but poor patient tolerance, slow onset of action and failure to prevent radiological progression limit its usefulness. (Aust NZ J Med 1983; 13: 578–582.)