Reactive psychosis. II. Does DSM-III-R define a third psychosis?

The DSM-III and DSM-III-R criteria for "brief reactive psychosis" change the original concept of this disorder in a manner so restrictive as to virtually eliminate the diagnosis. In a companion paper to this one, we have reviewed the original concept and data supporting further study of this classification. We now argue that the operational criteria of the DSM-IIIs do not enhance the study of this putative disease entity, but rather thwart this goal by restricting the diagnosis so severely that too few cases will be found to test the third psychosis hypothesis. We suggest revised criteria that will retain the essential features of the traditional concept while defining explicit criteria in the style of the DSM-IIIs.     

Immature corn as a source of niacin for rats

The variability in the concentration and biological availability of niacin in corn was investigated. Plots of both sweet and field corn were harvested at different stages. In rat growth assays for available niacin, grains harvested at the immature, "milky" stage and then dried gave values of 88 and 74 micrograms/g, respectively. These values were in contrast to the low growth assay values of 18 and 16 micrograms/g for grain harvested at maturity, and even higher than the value of approximately 56 micrograms/g obtained for each immature corn in both the Association of Official Analytical Chemists procedure of chemical analysis and a standard microbiological procedure. However, when the milky grains were precooked at neutral pH, the values from these procedures were higher and agreed with the biological assay results. It is suggested that, during the initial alkaline digestion used for these two procedures, a proportion of the niacin in NAD, the major form of niacin in milky corn, degrades. However, when the materials are first cooked at neutral pH, nicotinamide is released without loss, and the pyridine ring is then stable. The traditional American Indian practice of roasting and drying "green corn" apparently provided a valuable source of niacin.     

Academic middle managers for baccalaureate nursing: work motivation and satisfaction

Seventy-nine percent of academic middle managers for baccalaureate nursing reported that they did not plan to continue in their current management positions, or advance in academic leadership positions (George, 1981). This study examined the relationships between the job characteristics, a mediating variable "growth need strength", and the general job satisfaction and work motivation of academic middle managers for baccalaureate nursing. The sample was drawn from the population of academic middle managers for baccalaureate nursing in 126 colleges and universities across the United States that offer both baccalaureate and higher nursing degree programs. Sixty seven percent returned the Job Diagnostic Survey Short Form (JDSSF). The findings were interpreted through an examination of three analytical techniques: zero-order correlations, multiple regression, and multiple regression with interaction. Findings indicate that the dependent variable, "internal work motivation," can be measured in the population, but it cannot be predicted using the seven job characteristics measured by the JDSSF. The job characteristic autonomy was significant in predicting "general job satisfaction." General job satisfaction also proved to be some combination of security satisfaction and growth need satisfaction. both independent variables "autonomy" and "feedback from the job itself" were significant in predicting growth need satisfaction. As a mediating variable, "growth need strength" was not significant in predicting general job satisfaction in a linear model, nor was it significant when entered as an interactive term. However, the multiplicative model did increase, by four percent above the linear model, the amount of variance predictable in general job satisfaction.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Genetic alterations of Carney complex are not present in sporadic cardiac myxomas.

Cardiac myxomas are the most frequent cardiac tumors and cause for significant morbidity and mortality. Recent evidence indicates that cardiac myxomas are, in fact, neoplasms rather than organized thrombi. Cardiac myxomas may present as solitary lesions or in association with the Carney complex. Carney complex has been linked to chromosome 2p16 and the PRKAR1A gene at 17q22-24. In this study, we analyzed sporadic cardiac myxomas to evaluate whether the genetic alterations seen in Carney complex are present in non Carney complex associated cardiac myxomas as well. We analyzed microdissected material from 13 patients with cardiac myxomas for the markers PRKAR1 9CA, D2S2153, D2S2251 and D2S123. None of the cases demonstrated loss of heterozygosity or definite band changes suggestive of microsatellite instability for any of the markers used. We conclude that sporadic cardiac myxomas are genetically not related to Carney complex and most likely do not represent an incomplete form of Carney complex.     

The immune response in steroid deficient mice

Adrenalectomy, gonadectomy and combined adrenalectomy—gonadectomy resulted in increased spleen weights, spleen cell counts and 19S plaque-forming cells following primary and secondary immunization of mice with SRBC when compared to controls. Plaque-forming cells of the 7S type in the spleen did not increase when measured on the eleventh day following the primary or the third day following secondary sensitization. Combined adrenalectomy—gonadectomy had a greater effect on spleen cell counts, spleen weights and plaque-forming cells in the primary and secondary response than either operation alone. Haemolysin titres were not significantly different between test and sham operated animals in the primary and secondary responses.

In the primary responses, it appears that the increase in spleen weight and cell count is responsible for the increase in 19S plaque-forming cells. The response to a second injection of SRBC demonstrated that 19S antibody-producing cells increased three-fold in steroid depleted mice above the control values. In the test animals the 19S antibody-producing cells of the spleen were relatively enriched above that of the controls.

     

Foscarnet salvage therapy efficacy is associated with the presence of thymidine-associated mutations (TAMs) in HIV-infected patients

BACKGROUND: Salvage therapy based on foscarnet plus a thymidine analog is effective in patients with advanced-stage HIV disease and viruses harbouring multiple drug-resistance mutations. OBJECTIVE: To identify viral genetic determinants associated with the virological efficacy of foscarnet salvage therapy. STUDY DESIGN: Thirteen patients received foscarnet at a fixed dose of 80mg/kg twice daily for 14 days, in combination with zidovudine or stavudine. RESULTS: The baseline median HIV viral load and CD4 cell count were 5.10log(10)copies/ml and 23cells/mm(3), respectively. Following foscarnet therapy, viral load fell by a median of 1.84log(10)copies/ml (range: -0.29 to -2.82), and by at least 1log(10)copies/ml in 11 patients, all of whom harboured viruses with at least three thymidine-associated mutations (TAMs). The two patients with smaller declines in viral load (<0.50log(10)copies/ml) harboured viruses with only one or zero TAMs. CONCLUSIONS: These findings corroborate, in vivo, the impact of TAMs on HIV susceptibility to foscarnet. The virological response to foscarnet salvage therapy in multiclass-experienced patients may thus differ according to the number of TAMs.