HYPERCHOLESTEROLEMIA—Use of Niacin and Niacin Combinations in Therapy

Niacin or niacin combinations were administered in dosage of 1.0 to 6.0 gm. to 31 hypercholesterolemic patients for periods up to three years. Eighty per cent were able to continue medication for long periods without significant side effects. Jaundice, apparently due to nicotinic acid, occurred in one patient. Liver toxicity will probably be a hazard in the use of this therapy.Significant and maintained serum cholesterol depression was achieved in 80 per cent of the patients who were able to take adequate dosage. Reduction in xanthomata was observed with cholesterol reduction. In some cases, when larger doses were not tolerated or were unsuccessful, combining 1.5 gm of niacin with small doses of estrogen or triparanol achieved the desired effect. Aluminum nicotinate had no important advantage over plain niacin.     

Pain Syndromes—The Use of Nerve Block in Diagnosis and Treatment

There are four distinct pain entities which may be treated by injection of local anesthetic or neurolytic agents. These entities are somatic, visceral, sympathetic mediated and myofascial pain. Each entity should be recognized as separate from other types of pain and the appropriate therapeutic approach prescribed.     

A New Germfree Chicken Cage—Characteristics and Use

A new germfree chicken cage for rearing chicks up to 3 or 4 weeks of age has been designed and is in use at the University of Missouri. The cage and the accessory parts, the small magnet and hinged door, the “Bactytector,” the built-in air filter assembly, and the glass top with connecting air outlet filter have been described in detail. The complete operating procedure for sterilizing the cage and diet and the method of adding sterile embryonated eggs have been outlined. Data on the effectiveness of the cage as a physical barrier to microbes have been presented.     

Mannosidosis—Use of reference enzymes in heterozygote detection

A test for heterozygosity based on lymphocyte α-mannosidase activity relative to various reference parameters was evaluated in the bovine mannosidosis model. Expression of enzyme relative to protein in lymphocyte extracts was clearly superior to the use of individual reference lysosomal enzymes or collective lysosomal enzyme indices. The mean lymphocyte extract α-mannosidase activity per milligrams of protein of heterozygous animals was 38% that of the normal group, but there was an overlap between the range of activities of both populations.     

SULFONAMYL DIURETICS—Mechanism of Action and Therapeutic Use

The mechanism whereby sulfonamyl diuretics are effective is through the blockage of the renal tubular reabsorption of chloride. The excretion of sodium, potassium and water is a passive one to maintain ionic equilibrium. Chlorothiazide has been shown to be almost ineffective as a diuretic agent per se. Although it does block a moiety of the renal tubular reabsorption of bicarbonate, the effect is merely a transient one.     

INTERMITTENT POSITIVE PRESSURE BREATHING—A Clinical Evaluation of Its Use in Certain Respiratory Diseases

A series of patients with chronic respiratory insufficiency were treated with intermittent positive pressure breathing, which was combined with administration of bronchodilator drugs of the epinephrine series. Spirographs were made before and after treatment. The series included patients with chronic bronchitis and emphysema, fibrosis of various kinds, senile emphysema and bronchogenic carcinoma.Although the majority showed objective improvement, a significant proportion in all groups did not, and some were made worse, apparently on a basis of check valve mechanisms unresolved by the bronchodilator drug. In cases in which the method benefited the patient, the benefit was greater than that obtained with bronchodilator drugs alone.     

Characterization and Use of Male Sterility in Hybrid Rice Breeding

The hybrid rice （Oryza sativa L.） breeding that was Initiated In China in the 1970s led to a great improvement in rice productivity. In general, It increases the grain yield by over 20% to the inbred rice varieties, and now hybrid rice has been widely introduced into Africa, Southern Asia and America. These hybrid varieties are generated through either three-line hybrid and two-line hybrid systems; the former is derived from cytoplasmic male sterility （CMS） and the latter derived from genlc male sterility （GMS）. There are three major types of CMS （HL, BT and WA） and two types of GMS （photoperlod-sensitlve （PGMS） and temperature-sensitive （TGMS））. The BT- and HL-type CMS genes are characterized as orf79 and orfH79, which are chimeric toxic genes derived from mltochondrial rearrangement. Rf3 for CMS-WA Is located on chromosome 1, while Rf1, Rf4, Rf5 and Rf6 correspond to CMS-BT, CMSoWA and CMS- HL, located on chromosome 10. The Rfl gene for BT-CMS has been cloned recently, and encodes a mltochondriatargeted PPR protein. PGMS Is thought to be controlled by two recessive loci on chromosomes 7 and 12, whereas nine recessive alleles have been identified for TGMS and mapped on different chromosomes. Attention Is still urgently needed to resolve the molecular complexity of male sterility to assist rice breeding.     

COCCIDIOIDAL MENINGITIS—The Use of Amphotericin B in Treatment

Amphotericin B is the first agent to alter favorably the course of coccidioidal meningitis. The morbidity and toxicity of the drug are at present its chief limiting factors.Although no cures were obtained in a series of 11 cases, significant remissions usually followed a course of therapy. Comparison with similar groups showed a significant prolongation of life in adequately treated cases.     

TETANUS—The Use of Human Hyperimmune Globulin in Treatment

Twenty patients with tetanus were treated with human hyperimmune globulin. The mortality rate in the series was 30 per cent. No complications due to the use of this antitoxin were observed.     

RESERPINE AND CHLORPROMAZINE—Their Use in Alcoholic and Geriatric Patients

Although reserpine and chlorpromazine had tranquilizing effect on a number of geriatric and alcoholic patients in a state hospital, several complicating results were noted, some with a bearing on the patients'' health and others that might affect the assignment of personnel.Lipoprotein studies carried out on patients receiving reserpine seemed to indicate that a reduction in the blood levels of the denser lipoprotein molecules took place during therapy.Several elderly patients receiving chlorpromazine died of diseases that were not as sharply manifest by symptoms as they might be expected to be. Hence the need for closer observation than a limited staff could afford seemed a matter for consideration. Another consideration of the same order was the possible need for increased personnel for psychotherapy in light of the more receptive condition of the patients.     

Charcoal—Its Manufacture and Use

Charcoal is the most ancient of manufactured plant products, dating from early prehistoric times. Today about 375,000 tons are annually produced in the United States, to he used not only as fuel but also in the metallurgical industry and as a chemical raw material Both hardwoods and softwoods are converted into it.     

Pesticides and birds—A review of the situation in Great Britain in 1965

Capsule Arrival date strongly influenced date of breeding and breeding success.

Aim To check our hypothesis that in years with low April temperatures, i.e. when storks started to breed, the relationship between timing of breeding and success would be absent, meaning that migrants would have no advantage by returning early to their breeding area.

Methods We collected data in Poznań province, western Poland during the period 1983–2002. Based on local climatological data we selected eight cold spring years and compared them with the 12 ‘normal’ years. We analysed how weather affected the timing and arrival pattern of White Stork.

Results The two groups of years did not differ significantly in population size, but in normal years the arrival date of both parents was earlier. Arrival date strongly influenced (was positively correlated with) date of breeding and (negatively correlated with) breeding success.

Conclusion The slopes describing the above relationships did not differ significantly between the two groups of years. Therefore, we speculate that natural selection strongly favours birds that return early from the wintering grounds.     

Survival of cancer patients in urban and rural areas of Germany—A comparison

BackgroundCancer care services including cancer prevention activities are predominantly localised in central cities, potentially causing a heterogeneous geographic access to cancer care. The question of an association between residence in either urban or rural areas and cancer survival has been analysed in other parts of the world with inconsistent results. This study aims at a comparison of age-standardised 5-year survival of cancer patients resident in German urban and rural regions using data from 11 population-based cancer registries covering a population of 33 million people.Material and methodsPatients diagnosed with cancers of the most frequent and of some rare sites in 1997–2006 were included in the analyses. Places of residence were assigned to rural and urban areas according to administrative district types of settlement structure. Period analysis and district type specific population life tables were used to calculate overall age-standardised 5-year relative survival estimates for the period 2002–2006. Poisson regression models for excess mortality (relative survival) were used to test for statistical significance.ResultsThe 5-year relative survival estimates varied little among district types for most of the common sites with no consistent trend. Significant differences were found for female breast cancer patients and male malignant melanoma patients resident in city core regions with slightly better survival compared to all other district types, particularly for patients aged 65 years and older.ConclusionWith regard to residence in urban or rural areas, the results of our study indicate that there are no severe differences concerning quality and accessibility of oncological care in Germany among different district types of settlement.