Asbestos bodies in lung tissue following exposure to crocidolite

A series of 206 necropsies in Western Australia (WA) have had routine counts made of asbestos bodies in samples of lung tissue using conventional light microscopy. Thirty-two cases had worked in the asbestos industry at Wittenoom, WA and (log) counts of asbestos bodies in their lung tissue correlated well with estimates of their (log) cumulative airborne exposure to crocidolite fibers (r = 0.60). There was no association between the number of asbestos bodies and time since exposure to asbestos ceased. In subjects without known exposure to asbestos, there was a weak but nonsignificant increase in number of asbestos bodies with increasing age, with 26% of cases having no asbestos bodies present. It is concluded that the relatively simple technique of light microscopy for counting of asbestos bodies in lung tissue provides a reliable indication of the level of past occupational exposure to crocidolite in subjects whose exposure has been only to crocidolite. This could be extremely useful in follow-up studies of cohorts that lack reliable measures of airborne exposure to crocidolite asbestos.     

Equal aspiration rates from postpylorus and intragastric-placed small-bore nasoenteric feeding tubes: a randomized, prospective study.

Postpylorus delivery of enteral feeding is perceived by many experts to be safer than intragastric delivery. To test this assumption, patients with similar Glasgow Coma Scores were given identical enteral formulas continuously via a 10-French nasoenteric tube, placed into the stomach or beyond the second portion of the duodenum. Observations were made for attainment of desired nutrition, bowel changes, and clinical signs of aspiration. Radiographs of the chest and abdomen were obtained every 3 days. If a tube migrated out of a chosen location, it was replaced. Thirty-three patients were studied. Seventeen patients were fed into the stomach and 16 patients were fed postpylorus. The mean duration of enteral feeding was 11.8 days for the gastric group and 10.9 days for the postpylorus group (p = NS). The time to deliver the desired kilocalories was 3.33 and 2.77 days (p = NS) for gastric and postpylorus-fed patients. Tubes displaced similarly in each group, gastric 0.647, postpylorus 0.750 per duration of feeding (p = NS). Chest radiographs met the criteria for aspiration pneumonia in 31.3% of gastric and 40% of postpylorus-fed patients (p = NS). Together, these data indicate that complications from enterally fed patients are equally common whether the distal port of the feeding tube is in the stomach or beyond the second portion of the duodenum.     

Evaluation of monoclonal anti-D reagents using D variant cells

Monoclonal anti-D antibodies submitted to the Third Monoclonal International Workshop were evaluated against a number of D variant cells using standard serological techniques. The monoclonal antibodies were able to discriminate between the cells of Categories Va, VI and DFR but not Category III cells. Cells within each category did not give any aberrant results. The Rh:33 cells behaved as normal Rh(D) positive cells.     

Self-Concept and Satisfaction With Physical Appearance in Youth With and Without Oral Clefts

This study investigated relationships between child/parent dissatisfaction with child facial appearance and the self-concept/social competence of 8- to 15-year-old children with (N = 34) and without (N = 34) oral clefts. Children in both groups had normative psychosocial adjustment, but also reported moderate dissatisfaction with facial appearance. Cleft group parents were more likely to agree with their child's dissatisfaction. When cleft group parents were more dissatisfied with child facial appearance, their children reported better quality of life. Results suggest that parents of children with clefts reporting greater dissatisfaction may respond in positive ways that enhance quality of life.     

Long-lasting changes in morphine-induced locomotor sensitization and tolerance in Long-Evans mother rats as a result of periodic postpartum separation from the litter: a novel model of increased vulnerability to drug abuse?

Daily postpartum separations from the litter produce enduring changes in anxiety and sensitivity to the antinociceptive effects of morphine in Long-Evans dams. We tested whether postpartum experience alters sensitivity to the effects of morphine on locomotor activity. Dams were tested 4-6 weeks after their pups were weaned, and had one of the following backgrounds: daily separation from the litter on postpartum days 2-14 for either 3 h (prolonged separation-LS) or 15 min (brief separation-BS), or no separation (nonhandled control-NH). After 2 consecutive days (B1-2) of baseline activity measurements, subjects were tested daily after s.c. injections of either morphine (10 mg/kg) or saline for 7 days and again on day 10. Beginning 5 days later, saline and 1.0-10 mg/kg of morphine were tested in all dams. On B1, LS and BS dams habituated slower than NH controls, yielding higher horizontal counts. LS dams failed to habituate across baseline days and were more active than other dams on B2. Sensitization, a progressive increase in horizontal activity, was more rapid and robust in LS and BS dams compared to NH animals. LS was the only group that developed tolerance to morphine-induced decreases in vertical activity. In LS dams with the history of morphine treatment, injection of saline resulted in higher horizontal activity and center time compared to saline-treated counterparts, indicative of conditioning. Among animals with a history of saline treatment, LS dams were more sensitive to morphine challenges than BS and NH dams. As a result of the robust and long-lasting increases in the ability of morphine to induce behavioral sensitization in litter-separated dams, periodic postpartum separation may represent a new animal model of increased vulnerability to substance abuse.     

Random dot stereogram E in vision screening of children

The random dot stereogram E (RDE) has been shown to be a simple and effective test for the detection of binocular abnormalities and defective visual acuity in children. We determined the validity of the RDE as a screening test for reduced visual acuity, amblyopia and strabismus in two separate populations of children.
A nonselective group of 100 school children (aged 5 to 15 years) who presented consecutively to the ophthalmology department at Auckland Public Hospital were tested with the RDE. All cases of amblyopia and strabismus were detected by the RDE. Similar screening with the RDE test of 168 preschool children (aged three to four years) in the community resulted in an unacceptably high over-referral rate. The test was unreliable in the preschool age group because of difficulty in distinguishing between test failure and non-cooperation with the test. The low positive predictive value of the test in the younger age group suggests the test to be unsuitable for preschool vision screening.     

Screening for psychiatric illness in general practice: the general practitioner versus the screening questionnaire

This study compares the characteristics of general practitioners and a pen and paper test in the detection of psychiatric disorder in primary care settings. A psychiatrist interviewed a stratified sample of 283 patients drawn from 590 consecutive new illnesses seen in 15 general practices. Research diagnoses could be made in between one-quarter and one-third of the consecutive new illnesses. Two different research diagnostic systems agreed quite well with one another about who should be regarded as a psychiatric 'case' - although agreement between them for individual diagnoses was less impressive. Research diagnoses of psychiatric illnesses could be made in approximately 30% of new episodes of illnesses seen. If the DSM-3 system was used as a criterion of 'caseness', the specificity of the general health questionnaire was 75.4%, and the sensitivity was 87.1%. The general practitioners had fewer false positives than the questionnaire, but they were much more likely to miss psychiatric cases. Use of the general health questionnaire could increase their sensitivity from about 50% to 95%.