Effective forms of surgical dressing materials produced by the Paul Hartman firm]

From study of gauze dressings produced by the Paul Hartman firm the authors analyse the approaches to their elaboration. It is shown that the use of industrially sterilized gauze dressing-material creates the condition for fruitful work of the surgeon and ensures economy of the gauze. Concrete problems of the production of modern gauze dressing material by Soviet industry are defined.     

Efficacy of nimodipine in the prophylaxis of migraine

The efficacy of nimodipine in the prophylaxis of migraine was assessed in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over study carried out on 33 patients, 20 of whom suffered from classic and 13 from common migraine. Four patients dropped out, but not as a result of the side effects of the drug. The duration of drug treatment was 8 weeks. The dosage used was 30 mg four times daily. Nimodipine proved to be better than placebo, the number of migraine attacks and severity of headache showing a significant reduction. The drug was well tolerated and no marked side effects were noted. The results suggest that nimodipine is a useful new prophylactic drug for migraine, but further studies are needed before its final value can be evaluated.     

Modified method of injecting parental lymphocytes to induce a local graft versus host reaction

A new method of injecting parental lymphocytes into the foot of F₁ hybrid mice to induce a local graft versus host reaction, based on the use of the Achilles' tendon as a natural shutter covering the lumen of the wound channel, is suggested. The new method of injection greatly simplifies the test and enables the conditions for its performance to be standardized. The low cell concentration in the working suspension enables it to be kept on ice without any significant increase in the percentage of dead cells.Department of Microbiology, Smolensk Medical Institute. (Presented by Academician of the Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR N. N. Zhukov-Verezhnikov.) Translated from Byulleten' Éksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 88, No. 8, pp. 238–239, August, 1979.     

Psychophysiological characteristics of the performance of a suited operator]

The performance of a suited operator was studied. The experiments were carried out in a trainer consisting of a cockpit and electronic model of the plane attitude realized by an Electron analogue computer. The experiments showed that a special suit may decrease the performance. The main cause for that is that under positive pressure the influx of afferent signals impoverishes due to a reduction of proprioceptive feedback. This disturbs the interaction of the optic and motor analyzers. In order to increase the performance of a suited pilot, it is necessary to build the construction maintaining the optic-proprioceptive relation.