Anxiety in the postoperative period following cardiac surgery

Among the patients treated in the Intensive Care Unit at the Virgen del Rocio University Hospital, two sample group studies, one immediately following the other, were carried out. In the first study, the investigative methods used were participants' observations and non-participants' observations. The second study used interviews. Data analysis was based on categorization. The main anxiety-causing factors which stand out are thirst during the first 24 post operative hours and the need to defecate in a bedpan or similar device when this need is not indicated as a procedure to follow during the post operative period. Bear in mind that these definitive results were drawn after carrying out 12 interviews. The low number of interviews does not allow one to draw categorical conclusions but one can consider these as a take off point in further investigations.     

Measurement of colonic transit time in children

Transit times through the whole colon and its segments were measured in 10 healthy children and 14 children suffering constipation secondary to myelomeningocele. The subjects ingested radio-opaque markers on three successive days, and on the fourth a plain abdominal roentgenogram was taken using fast film. In the healthy children, total colonic transit time (mean +/- SD) was 37.8 +/- 6.2 h, with segmental times of 10.8 +/- 3.5 h for the right colon, 12.2 +/- 2.7 h for the left, and 14.7 +/- 2.1 h for the rectosigmoid; upper normal limits of 17.8 h for the right colon, 17.6 h for the left, 19.1 h for the rectosigmoid, and 50.2 h for the total colonic transit time were established. In the constipated children, the total transit time was 59.9 +/- 5.4 h, with segmental times of 15.9 +/- 2.3 h for the right colon, 18.9 +/- 2.3 h for the left, and 25.0 +/- 2.6 h for the rectosigmoid. The technique described is simple, is easy to use in clinical practice, and involves a lower radiation dose than other methods. It may prove useful for measurement of colonic transit time in suitable patients.     

Pregnancy rates with fresh versus computer-controlled cryopreserved semen for artificial insemination by donor in a private practice setting

From late 1970 through December 1987, 580 women began 733 treatment programs (a total of 3405 insemination cycles) with fresh semen for artificial insemination by donor. The unadjusted pregnancy rate was 48.5% and the cumulative pregnancy rate after seven cycles by life-table analysis was 59.6% with a monthly fecundability of 11.9%. From 1988 to the present, 113 women have begun 115 treatment programs (a total of 371 insemination cycles) with cryopreserved semen for artificial insemination by donor. The unadjusted pregnancy rate to date is 18.3% and the cumulative pregnancy rate after seven cycles by life-table analysis is 48.6% with a monthly fecundability of 5.9%. This report shows that using cryopreserved semen for artificial insemination by donor will take somewhat longer to produce a pregnancy but the ultimate pregnancy rate will be similar to that with fresh semen for artificial insemination by donor.     

The importance of bee-collected pollen in the diet: a study of its composition

In this article the content of macronutrients and the calorific value of 15 commercial samples of pollen is presented. This bee-collected product can be a good complement to our daily diet due to the interesting proportions of proteins, fats and carbohydrates, especially these last two.     

Corynebacterium macginleyi isolated from urine in a patient with a permanent bladder catheter

An 82-y-old male patient with a neurogenic bladder and vesical stones presented with a urinary tract infection caused by Corynebacterium macginleyi. This is the first case of isolation of C. macginleyi from a non-conjunctival specimen. The patient recovered fully with antimicrobial treatment.     

Colonic tuberculosis

Tubercle bacillus was discovered in 1882 by Robert Koch. With the introduction of chemotherapy for tuberculosis in the 1940s the incidence of this entity decreased. The incidence of the tuberculosis of the colon began to increase at the 1980s with the rise in numbers of patients considered as high risk for this entity, such as HIV-infected individuals, patients with chronic renal disease, and immunosuppressed patients with prolonged steroid therapy. We report on two patients with history of chronic abdominal pain and weight loss with a palpable mass in the right lower quadrant. In one patient chest radiography revealed a miliary reticulonodular pattern. In both, abdominal CT scan showed retroperitoneal lymphadenopathy and colonic wall thickness. Colonoscopic examination showed ulcerative lesions and ileocecal valve disruption. Microscopic examination of intestinal content showed evidenced M. tuberculosis. Tuberculosis of the colon should be suspected in patients suffering from chronic abdominal pain and weight loss.