Effect of physiotherapy on sickness absence in industry: a comparative study.

A cross-sectional comparative study was carried out in two chemical manufacturing plants in order to ascertain the effect of an occupational physiotherapy service on absence attributed to sickness. There was no overall effect on total sickness absence rates in this study, but a possible reduction in short-term sickness absence was noted. Changes in management attitudes to absence attributed to sickness at the comparison site caused a significant reduction in short-term absences. It is concluded that physiotherapy in an occupational setting has little effect on sickness absence compared to management attitudes, but the unquantifiable benefits, such as increased employee mobility, better industrial relations and employee morale may be significant benefits, worthy of further study.     

A closed loop microprocessor controller for treatment of hypertension after cardiac surgery

Hypertension after cardiac surgery is common and requires accurate control by carefully regulated infusions of drugs such as sodium nitroprusside. A microprocessor-based controller has been designed to close the loop between the blood pressure response and the infusion rate of a hypotensive drug. This system has been refined by computer simulation of the blood pressure response to sodium nitroprusside and by experience gained in using the controller in eleven patients in the early recovery period after cardiac surgery. The controller was able automatically to maintain blood pressure within 10% of a specified value. Provision of sophisticated safety features in automatic drug infusion controllers is essential for patient protection.     

Epidermolysis bullosa: radiographic findings in 16 cases

Epidermolysis bullosa is a group of dermatologic disorders with varied inheritance patterns having the common manifestation of blister or bulla formation after minor trauma. Sixteen patients with the disease had the following radiographic manifestations: esophageal stricture (16), fecal impaction (six), vaginal stenosis (one), epithelial bridging and fusion of the digits (six), and aspiration changes in the lungs (two). Esophageal strictures involved the pharynx or cervical esophagus in eight cases and were multiple in five; they ranged in length from 2 mm to 15 cm and tended to progress over time. The findings of esophageal stricture, particularly when multiple and involving the proximal esophagus, and/or the presence of distal phalangeal atrophy with soft-tissue webbing suggest the diagnosis of epidermolysis bullosa.     

Case report: intermittent, positive pressure ventilation-dependent right bundle branch block.

A 73-year-old man with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and cor pulmonale developed an intermittent right bundle branch block (RBBB) during mechanical ventilation. The appearance and disappearance of his RBBB was temporally associated with each positive pressure breath. Intermittent RBBB is a previously undescribed complication of positive pressure ventilation.     

Parental 'expressed emotion' as a predictor of schizophrenic relapse

Fifty-seven schizophrenic patients were initially assessed after admission to hospital, at which time their parents completed a Camberwell Family Interview, generating "expressed emotion" (EE) scores. Relapse over the next nine months was not predicted by household EE status or by individual EE scales. Multivariate analyses suggested that a poor course after hospitalization was best predicted by a poor course before admission and by living in a one-parent household. High household EE status was a predictor only in one multivariate analysis after course of illness and one-parent household status had been entered, suggesting an interaction effect. We query the causal proposition linking high EE and relapse and suggest instead that a poor illness course may elicit high EE in relatives, particularly in one-parent households, and, thus, may make the principal contribution to the proposed link.     

Interaction of 2-halogenated dATP analogs (F, Cl, and Br) with human DNA polymerases, DNA primase, and ribonucleotide reductase

Recently, 2-halogenated deoxyadenosine analogs (F, Cl, and Br) have been shown to have antitumor activity. These analogs are phosphorylated by cells and are believed to exert their cytotoxic action at the nucleoside triphosphate level. In this work the interaction of these nucleoside triphosphate analogs with potential targets, such as DNA polymerase alpha, beta, and gamma, DNA primase, and ribonucleotide reductase was examined in detail. All of these compounds competitively inhibited the incorporation of dAMP into DNA by DNA polymerase alpha, beta, or gamma. F-dATP was able to completely substitute for dATP using DNA polymerase alpha and gamma, but not with DNA polymerase beta. Cl-dATP and Br-dATP substituted poorly for dATP using DNA polymerase alpha and beta. Extension of a 32P-labeled primer by DNA polymerase alpha, beta, or gamma on a single-stranded M13 template showed that these compounds were incorporated into the 3' end of the growing DNA chain and that elongation beyond the incorporated analogs was significantly retarded for Cl-dATP and Br-dATP using either DNA polymerase alpha or beta. DNA primase using poly(dC) as template was inhibited by these compounds at a concentration 4 to 5 times greater than that required for 2-F-araATP. The 2-halogenated dATP analogs were potent inhibitors of ADP reduction by ribonucleotide reductase. In conclusion, the cytotoxic action of 2-Cl-deoxyadenosine and 2-Br-deoxyadenosine may partially be mediated through the mechanism of "self-potentiation," by depression of the deoxynucleoside triphosphate pools due to inhibition of ribonucleotide reductase, which would facilitate their incorporation into DNA and result in the inhibition of DNA synthesis.