MORPHOMETRIC APPROACHES TO PERIFASCICULAR ATROPHY IN MUSCLE BIOPSY: DO THEY HELP TO DIAGNOSE POLYMYOSITIS?

The sizes of muscle fibres in the peripheral and central parts of fascicles were compared in biopsies from patients with polymyositis/dermatomyositis, patients with slowly progressing muscular dystrophies and normal controls. Of three quantitative parameters tested, perifascicular atrophy factor gave the best discrimination between the patient groups. This factor is obtained by subtracting the atrophy factor of the peripheral fibres from that of the central ones. In polymyositis, the values tend to be negative as a result of atrophy affecting selectively the peripheral fibres, whereas in dystrophies the values are usually close to zero or positive. For the comparison between polymyositis and muscular dystrophy, the test based on perifascicular atrophy factor has an estimated sensitivity of 83% and a specificity of 65%. This quantitative method is thus able to increase sensitivity of the diagnosis of polymyositis over that attained by the subjective evaluation, even at the cost of a sizeable false-positive rate.     

Chromosome examinations after medically administered lysergic acid diethylamide and dextroamphetamine

The results of the present study demonstrate once again that, on the average, the addition of LSD in vitro leads to chromosome damage in excess of that observed in cultures without such added LSD even though nearly all of the in vitro experiments were carried out on blood cultures derived from patients who had already been started on the drug regime in vivo. By contrast, the present data provide no evidence for a measurable detrimental effect of LSD and DA when administered to patients under medical supervision. It is conceivable that an effect might have emerged had we been able to monitor chromosomes separately before and after administration of LSD and before and after administation of DA, but we consider it unlikely that either drug would exert protective action against potentially damaging consequences of the other. It is conceivable also that damaged cells are sequestered to give rise eventually to neoplasia-prone clones. The likelihood of that possibility can be determined only by long-term follow-up studies.     

Association between recurrent aphthous ulcers and tobacco habits

Abstract – The study is a compilation of data on oral mucosal lesions collected among 20 333 people aged 15 yr and over. The aim was to calculate the correlation between the prevalence of recurrent aphthous ulcers and various tobacco habits. The prevalence of aphthous ulcers in the population was 17.7% including cases referring to episodes within the last 2 yr. There was a negative correlation between the prevalence of ulcers and tobacco habits. The suppression of ulcers was most evident for those groups smoking pipe or cigarettes without filter and only moderate for those using snuff. Further, heavy smokers had a lower frequency of ulcers than moderate smokers.     

差示分光光度法测定牛黄类中成药中胆红素的含量

本文利用胆红素溶液在光照下易氧化变色及其吸收光谱发生显著变化的性质,在波长453 nm处,测其光照前后的吸收度差值(△A),△A与胆红素溶液浓度呈线性关系,对含牛黄的中成药(六应丸,六神丸和牛黄消炎丸)中胆红素进行了定量,并对其它组分进行了光照试验,排除了光照对其它组分的影响,从而确定了此法的可行性。     

An experiment in police-community relations: A small group approach

To study the effectiveness of group discussion in mitigating the rising hostility between police and residents of the urban ghetto, two 15-member groups of police and ghetto residents held weekly discussions, led and observed by university researchers, for 12 weeks. Attitude scales administered at the beginning and end of the study, as well as recorded logs of the meetings, reveal increased understanding and empathy between initially hostile and defensive participants by the end of the study. With increased awareness of each others' problems came an increased faith in the power of cooperation to solve problems. Police became more interested in attempting to affect the causes of problems than in serving merely as disciplinarians, and some of the community members began to attempt to instill in their neighbors a more friendly attitude toward the police.He directed the Police-Community Relations Pilot Project, which was funded by the Office of Juvenile Delinquency and Youth Development, U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, through the institute's Training Center in Youth Development. Mrs. Steinbruner, editor and evaluator for the training center, was a member of the pilot project staff. The participation of Dr. Kenneth Benne, Dr. John Cartwright, and W. Robert McClain, of the Boston University Human Relations Center, is gratefully acknowledged.