Sorrento studies of diet and fecal flora in the newborn

The fecal flora of a breast-fed baby is very different from that of a bottle-fed baby. This paper reviews five previous studies, performed at this hospital concerning the effect of various dietary components (whey proteins, casein, lactoferrin, iron, nucleotides) on the fecal flora. The babies received either breast milk or one of the test formulas from birth. Fecal samples were examined by quantitative microbiological methods at 4 and 14 days and at various intervals thereafter. By 14 days differences in the fecal flora were established. Among breast-fed babies bifidobacteria, lactobacilli and staphylococci were predominant organisms, whereas in the formula-fed babies the predominant organisms were enterococci, coliforms, and Bacteroides. A whey-based formula without bovine lactoferrin, iron or nucleotides gave a flora a little closer to but still remote from the breast-fed one. Despite extensive modification of cow's milk in the manufacture of a modern infant formula, the fecal flora of bottle-fed babies remains substantially different from that of breast-fed babies.     

THE UNDERGRADUATE: Social Dance in an Occupational Therapy Programme

This article contains a rationale for chosing dance as a group activity and an account of some of the factors influencing the inclusion of a dance group in an occupational therapy programme.     

The effect of body posture on the preferred vertical dimension of occlusion

Thirteen edentulous adults were investigated to see whether their preferred vertical dimension of occlusion (PVDO) was affected by vertical and horizontal body posture. The PVDO was found by the forced choice method using a graduated series of sticks in random sequence. The subjects were tested in both postures on two separate occasions. No significant difference was found between the PVDO's when the subjects were sitting upright and when they were supine. Nor was there any significant difference in the PVDO of the first and second sessions for either position.     

OESTROGEN STIMULATED NEUROPHYSIN IN PREGNANCY AND LACTATION

Serum concentrations of oestrogen stimulated neurophysin (ESN) were measured throughout pregnancy in thirty-one women and until 6 weeks post-partum in a further twenty-three. During pregnancy ESN rose progressively and values during labour were similar to those immediately before delivery. There were significant correlations (P < 0–05) between serum ESN and oestradiol values measured in samples from four patients. After delivery the concentration of ESN fell rapidly to the range for non-pregnant women by 5 days post-partum, whether the mothers lactated or not, and remained fairly constant for the next 6 weeks. Bromocriptine or metoclopramide, drugs which affect prolactin secretion, were without effect on ESN values. At 8 days post-partum in sixteen of the eighteen patients studied there was an increase in ESN concentration 30 min after suckling commenced. At 6 weeks similar changes occurred in five of ten subjects studied. In contrast, at 8 days there was no significant change in ESN in four mothers who bottle fed their babies over the 90 min studied. The relationship between ESN and hormonal changes during pregnancy and lactation is discussed in the light of these results.     

Verbal communication between students in multidisciplinary health teams

The study reported here was connected with the influence of two variables—the context in which communication occurs, and the concept availability of various health professionals—upon the verbal interaction of various health professionals. Specifically, the verbal output of health professionals in groups consisting entirely of their own professional peers (i.e. all nurses, or all medical students) was compared with that of professionals in multidisciplinary health teams. The study, in attempting to delineate possible barriers to effective verbal interaction, has important implications for the functioning of multidisciplinary health teams.     

Moral Authority in OGN Nursing

Ethical dilemmas are becoming more common in the work of the OGN nurse. Ethical decisions that involve nurses sometimes appear as traps in which nurses can feel coerced or manipulated. Nurses may overplay, underplay, or ignore their professional authority due to miscommunication or misunderstanding. A careful reassessment of personal values and assumptions about the OGN nurse's role and responsibility in decision making must be made.     

Ongoing evaluation of a behavioural sciences course for medical students: uses, methods, limitations

This paper describes a system of ongoing student evaluation of a behavioral sciences course for medical students. Student opinion about all aspects of the course is tapped, using a variety of methods including formal and informal discussion between staff and students; and written evaluations of lectures, tutorials, textbooks, assignments, and methods of assessing students' performance. The evolution of the evaluation programme into its present form is described, together with the way in which student evaluations are used, and the limitations of these methods of evaluating a course.     

Characterization of circulating immune complexes by nephelometry in acute leukaemia

Summary Circulating immune complexes were isolated from 15 patients with acute leukaemia and 13 healthy blood donors by PEG precipitation. These were analysed according to their IgG, IgM and C4 content by optical rate nephelometry. Immune complexes of leukaemic patients contained higher amounts of IgM as compared to those from normal subjects. The clinical relevance of IgM containing immune complexes in leukaemia is discussed.