Can marital selection explain the differences in health between married and divorced people? From a longitudinal study of a British birth cohort

In view of the rising divorce rates, the impact of divorce on health has an increasing importance in public health. The differentials in health between the married and the divorced may be explained by ‘marital selection’ and ‘marital protection’. Using longitudinal data from a study of the 1958 British birth cohort, factors that select people into divorce were identified from the areas of socio-economic status, health, and attractiveness, which included physical attractiveness, health-related behaviour and temperament. Evidence for both positive and adverse selection is found. The different sets of selection factors for females and males appear to be in line with gender role expectations. The health differentials between married and divorced men were weak and can be explained away by the selection factors. Having controlled for the selection effects, there were still significant associations between divorce and physical and psychological health in women. Though these unexplained differentials cannot be definitely interpreted as the consequences of marital dissolution, this interpretation remains plausible.     

The simultaneous occurrence of renal artery stenosis and an aldosteronoma in a patient with hypertension

The simultaneous occurrence of renovascular hypertension and an adrenocortical adenoma is a rare entity. The case of a 64-year-old woman who underwent an aortorenal bypass graft for renovascular hypertension requiring a multidrug antihypertensive regimen is presented. Persistently elevated blood pressures in the postoperative period prompted further workup for other causes of hypertension. Laboratory evaluation showed hyperaldosteronism and hyporeninemia despite enalapril administration. Abdominal computerized tomography (CT) revealed a left adrenal mass which, on surgical removal, was found to be a cortical adenoma. Subsequently, her antihypertensive therapy has been reduced to a single agent. Previous authors have described only four patients with malignant hypertension who had the rare clinical combination of renal artery stenosis and an aldosteronoma. This case reemphasizes the critical need for a thorough search for other surgically correctable lesions in those patients who remain severely hypertensive after the "definitive" operation.     

Identification of Aeromonas strains to the genospecies level in the clinical laboratory.

One hundred thirty-three strains of Aeromonas (human, n = 102; animal, n = 16; environmental, n = 15) previously identified to the DNA group level by molecular methods were biochemically analyzed for 58 properties. On the basis of the use of between 9 and 16 selected tests, 132 of the 133 strains (99%) could be assigned to their correct hybridization group using this biochemical scheme. The results suggest a feasible approach for identifying aeromonads to genospecies level under appropriate conditions.     

Carbon plasma immersion ion implantation of nickel-titanium shape memory alloys

Nickel-titanium (NiTi) shape memory alloys possess super-elasticity in addition to the well-known shape memory effect and are potentially suitable for orthopedic implants. However, a critical concern is the release of harmful Ni ions from the implants into the living tissues. We propose to enhance the corrosion resistance and other surface and biological properties of NiTi using carbon plasma immersion ion implantation and deposition (PIII&D). Our corrosion and simulated body fluid tests indicate that either an ion-mixed amorphous carbon coating fabricated by PIII&D or direct carbon PIII can drastically improve the corrosion resistance and block the out-diffusion of Ni from the materials. Our tribological tests show that the treated surfaces are mechanically more superior and cytotoxicity tests reveal that both sets of plasma-treated samples favor adhesion and proliferation of osteoblasts.     

Detection of highly pathogenic and low pathogenic avian influenza subtype H5 (Eurasian lineage) using NASBA

Nucleic acid sequence-based amplification (NASBA) is a technique that allows the rapid amplification of specific regions of nucleic acid obtained from a diverse range of sources. It is especially suitable for amplifying RNA sequences. A NASBA technique has been developed that allows the detection of avian influenza A subtype H5 from allantoic fluid harvested from inoculated chick embryos. The amplified viral RNA is detected by electrochemiluminescence. The NASBA technique described below is rapid and specific for the identification of influenza A subtype H5 viruses of the Eurasian lineage. More importantly, it can be used to distinguish highly pathogenic and low pathogenic strains of the H5 subtype.     

A multicentre randomized controlled trial of oral misoprostol and i.m. syntometrine in the management of the third stage of labour

Postpartum haemorrhage accounts for nearly 28% of maternal mortality in developing countries. Syntometrine is an effective and commonly used oxytocic in preventing postpartum haemorrhage, but it requires a controlled storage environment and i.m. administration. Misoprostol is an orally active uterotonic agent. A total of 2058 patients having a singleton pregnancy, low risk for postpartum haemorrhage and vaginal delivery were randomized to receive either 1 ml syntometrine or 600 microgram misoprostol for the management of the third stage of labour. There were no significant differences between the two groups in the mean blood loss, the incidence of postpartum haemorrhage and the fall in haemoglobin concentration. The need for additional oxytocic injection was significantly higher in the misoprostol group [relative risk (RR) 1.62, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.34-1.96], but that of manual removal of placenta was reduced (RR 0.29, 95% CI 0.09-0.87). Shivering and transient pyrexia were more common in the misoprostol group. Oral misoprostol might be used in the management of the third stage, especially in situations where the use of syntometrine is contraindicated and facilities for storage and parenteral administration of oxytocics are limited.     

Recurrent and novel mutations of GCDH gene in Chinese glutaric acidemia type I families

Glutaric acidemia type I is caused by mutations of the glutaryl-CoA dehydrogenase (GCDH) gene resulting in loss of GCDH enzyme activity. Patients present with progressive dystonia and lesions in basal ganglia. Dietary treatment, when instituted from the early neonatal period, markedly reduces dystonia and morbidity. Early diagnosis and prenatal diagnosis will be facilitated by knowledge of locally prevalent GCDH mutations. Several common GCDH mutations have been found in different ethnic groups. GCDH mutations were studied in 5 Chinese glutaric acidemia type I families. We detected two novel recurrent mutations (A219T and IVS10-2A>C) which were found in two unrelated families. An asymptomatic carrier of IVS10-2A>C was also found on screening of 120 individuals. Other mutations were identified, including two other novel (R386G & IVS3+1G>A) and two known mutations (G178R & R355H). Fibroblasts from patients carrying the novel mutations were confirmed to be deficient for GCDH activity. This is the first report of GCDH mutations describing recurrent mutations in Chinese patients. The carrier rate of IVS10-2A>C may be particularly high in Chinese.     

Detection and deletion of motion artifacts in electrogastrogram using feature analysis and neural networks

Electrogastrogram is a surface measurement of gastric myoelectrical activity, and electrogastrography has been an attractive method for physiological and pathophysiological studies of the stomach due to its nonivasive nature. Motion artifacts, however, ruin the electrogastrogram (EGG), and make the analysis very difficult and sometimes even impossible. They must be eliminated from EGG signals before analysis. Up to now, this can only be done by visual inspection, which is not only time-consuming but also subjective. In this study, a method using feature analysis and neural networks has been developed to realize automatic detection and elimination of the motion artifacts in EGG recordings by computer. Experiments were conducted to investigate the characteristics of different motion artifacts. Useful features were extracted, and different combinations of the features used as the input of the neural network were compared to obtain the optimal performance for the detection of motion artifacts using the artificial neural network.