Patterns of cocaine use among methadone clients

This paper presents data on cocaine use and its consequences among 368 methadone-maintained clients. Data come from the Tristate Ethnographic Project (TRISEP), a study of methadone maintenance at four treatment programs in three states. Cocaine is a part of the drug use and social life of clients in methadone treatment; it is found not only among a handful of deviant clients but also among one-fifth of clients otherwise compliant with program rules. Cocaine is reported to be a high-status drug among clients, but one with potentially dangerous consequences. Cocaine is associated with increased criminal activity and exposure to violence and the addict life-style. It is reported to be a substitute high, an economic drain on the client user, and a possible route back into the life-style of addiction. Cocaine use, and the consequences stemming from that use, may affect the success or failure of treatment and, therefore, is of critical importance to the treatment community.     

Bovine coronary artery endothelium: in vitro culture and production of plasminogen activator

A new method for isolation and culture of endothelial cells from bovine coronary artery (BCoAEC) is presented. This method involves in situ perfusion and digestion of main coronary arteries with a collagenase solution. The isolated cells were cultured and maintained through many cell passages in Dulbecco's Modified Eagle's Medium supplemented with fetal bovine serum derived from either whole blood or plasma. Confirmation of these cells' endothelial origin was obtained by demonstration of typical morphologic and growth characteristics of endothelium, immunofluorescent staining with antibodies to von Willebrand factor (Factor VIII: vWF), and measurement of plasminogen activator (PA). In addition, production of PA was inhibited by enzymatically active thrombin as has been previously described with bovine aortic endothelial cells in culture.     

Chest compression-induced vertebral fractures

Two cases with chest compression-induced thoracolumbar transvertebral fractures are discussed. This is a previously unreported complication of cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Dorsal kyphosis and osteopenia were present in both of these cases. There was no spinal cord injury documented, though the potential for injury and paraplegia exists. Care should be taken to avoid this complication, especially in the elderly with kyphosis; however, adequate compressions to insure support of circulation should be maintained.     

Medial hypothalamic stimulation produces analgesia to facial heating in unrestrained rats

Gradual heating of the face in unrestrained conscious rats produced a behavioural response at a mean threshold temperature of 41.9 degrees C (S.E.M. +/- 0.02, 174 tests). This temperature did not change with tests repeated at 5-min intervals over one hour. During stimulation of the preoptic area of the hypothalamus the response temperature was consistently raised by about 3 degrees C but returned to the control level within 5 min.