Parents' Contributions to Children's Knowledge and Attitudes Regarding AIDS: Another Look

Attempted to determine, using a sample of students in Grades3, 5, and 7, whether parent-child communication about AIDS andparent knowledge of AIDS predict children's knowledge, socialattitudes, and worry regarding AIDS, partially replicating testsby Sigelman, Derenowski, Mullaney, and Siders (1993) of maineffects, interaction, and potentiation models of parent-childsocialization. Most parents had talked to their children aboutAIDS but many were susceptible to myths about HIV transmission.Child age was the strongest predictor of accurate knowledgeand positive attitudes, but gender, ethnicity, and parent educationalso made modest contributions. Consistent with the potentiationmodel, parent knowledge of common transmission myths predictedchild knowledge of those same myths (and willingness to interactwith individuals who have AIDS as well) only when parent-childcommunication about AIDS was relatively extensive (and onlywhen child rather than parent reported it). Findings suggestthat both the quantity and quality of parental messages mustbe considered by socialization researchers but that parentsmay not be the primary socializers of knowledge and attitudesregarding AIDS and other health issues.     

Metabolic bone disease among in-patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Twenty-five consecutive in-patients who had suffered from rheumatoid arthritis for at least five years were investigated radiologically, histologically and biochemically for evidence of metabolic bone disease. Dietary intake of vitamin D was universally well below recommended levels. Serum 25-hydroxycholecalciferol (25-OHD) concentrations did not correlate with dietary intake of vitamin D but correlated significantly with a sunlight exposure score (p less than 0.01). Despite seven patients having 25-OHD levels below the normal reference range, no cases of osteomalacia were found. Pathological fractures, often initially unrecognized, had occurred in the lower limb bones of seven patients in the previous five years. Those with fractures of the leg bones had evidence of more pronounced osteoporosis of the axial skeleton radiologically and histologically and five of the seven had been taking oral corticosteroids. There was close agreement between qualitative histological assessment of osteoporosis and radiographic evidence of vertebral collapse and those with the severest osteoporosis had lower serum levels of 25-OHD than the rest (p less than 0.02). Ten subjects had reduced xylose absorption tests, although frank malabsorption was not found, and in five patients studied the jejunal mucosa was normal.     

Cis-diamminedichloroplatinum (II) administered by 24-hour infusion in the treatment of patients with advanced upper aerodigestive cancer

A regression rate of 12% (4/33) among patients with advanced upper aerodigestive carcinomas who received an intravenous regimen of cis-diamminedichloroplatinum, 90 mg/m2/24 hours each three weeks was achieved. The response rate was 13% (3/23) among patients with typical squamous cell carcinoma. Most individuals had received extensive prior surgery and/or radiation therapy. Nineteen patients had ECOG performance score 0, 1. A median time to progression and survival of 1.6 months and 6.7 months, respectively, were associated with moderate to severe nausea and vomiting in virtually all patients. These results differ from previous reports of single agent platinum regimens which have achieved regression rates of approximately 40% among apparently comparable patients. Subtle clinically inapparent differences between study populations and the influence of yet unrecognized covariates may have impacted on the response discrepancy. Innovative studies of the high-dose, infusion platinum therapy may clarify the efficacy of the program in patients with advanced head and neck cancer.     

Bactericidal activity of oxacillin against beta-lactamase-hyperproducing Staphylococcus aureus.

The bactericidal activity of oxacillin against beta-lactamase-hyperproducing strains of Staphylococcus aureus for which the MIC by MicroScan was 1 or 2 micrograms/ml after incubation for 24 h was evaluated by MBC studies and kill kinetics methods. MBC and kill kinetics tests were both performed using Mueller-Hinton broth (MHB), with and without 2% NaCl supplementation, and incubation at 30 and 35 degrees C. When MBC testing was performed with salt-supplemented MHB, the oxacillin MBC/MIC ratio was greater than 8 for 17 and 16 of 17 S. aureus isolates at 30 and 35 degrees C, respectively. With unsupplemented MHB, the MBC/MIC ratio was greater than 8 for nine and six strains at 30 and 35 degrees C, respectively. Five representative strains were selected for kill kinetics studies under the four different test conditions. Oxacillin appeared more bactericidal by the kill kinetics method than by MBC testing. Moreover, salt supplementation did not affect the results of kill kinetics studies as dramatically as it did the MBC results. Thus, bactericidal testing results are markedly influenced by the technique employed, and further in vivo studies are necessary to fully evaluate the efficiency of oxacillin against beta-lactamase-hyperproducing strains of S. aureus.     

Acute transmural myocardial infarction associated with active Coxsackie virus B infection.

Out of a total of 233 patients suffering from transmural myocardial infarction, 20 patients were found to have serologic evidence of a concurrent active Coxsackie virus B infection. While the infection may have been coincidental, it is also possible that the virus may have played some part in the illness. Conceivably, myocarditis could be mistaken for infarction or, by some mechanism as yet unknown, the virus might precipitate infarction in susceptible subjects.     

Initiation of labor with a moderately favorable cervix: a comparison between prostaglandin E2 gel and oxytocin

This study compares prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) gel and oxytocin for the initiation of labor in term pregnancies with a moderately favorable cervix (Bishop score 5-8). Compared with a matched group, 48 cases treated with PGE2 gel (2.5 mg intravaginally) required significantly less or no oxytocin, had shorter first stages of active labor, and had no increased risk of uterine hyperstimulation or cesarean section. Initiation of labor with low dose PGE2 when the cervix is moderately favorable is less labor intensive and meets with more patient satisfaction.