A comparative study of three hypnotics: methyprylon,glutethimide and chloral hydrate

A controlled study designed to evaluate the hypnotic potentiality of methyprylon (300 mg.), glutethimide (500 mg.) and chloral hydrate (1000 mg.) was carried out on 50 in-patients experiencing long-standing insomina. The patients ranged in age from 21 to 60 years, the sexes were equally represented and the clinical diagnoses were psychoneurosis, reactive depression, or anxiety reaction. An interesting feature of the experimental design allowed for the exclusion of placebo reactors before the initiation of the main trials. No difference in effectiveness of maintaining sleep could be established among the three hypnotic agents, indicating that at the usual levels of statistical significance, all three agents were equally effective as hypnotics. However, a significant trend (P = .05) was found for methyprylon (Noludar) to be the most effective and chloral hydrate to be the least effective of the three drugs in maintaining sleep. Methyprylon was found statistically (P = .05) to be the fastest sleep-inducing agent, whereas glutethimide (Doriden) proved to be the slowest of the three hypnotics with respect to sleep induction time.     

A Comparison of Warfarin Sodium and Bishydroxycoumarin in Long-Term Anticoagulant Therapy

Warfarin sodium was compared with bishydroxycoumarin (Dicumarol) in 16 patients on long-term anticoagulant therapy. When the patients were changed from bishydroxycoumarin to warfarin sodium there was no improvement in control of their prothrombin times. It was found that 5 mg. of warfarin had slightly less effect than 50 mg. of bishydroxycoumarin. It was concluded that the drugs were equally effective in long-term anticoagulant therapy. The metabolism of the ingested drug was more important than absorption in determining the control of the patients'' prothrombin times.     

RADIATION FACTS FOR PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICERS

In the medical use of x-rays a few kinds of examinations contribute a large percentage of the gonadal exposure. Dose reduction to a population need not require total reduction nor restriction of the medical use, but study and attention to a few examinations in the pelvic region may satisfy the most skeptical that the use is justified or indicate the need for modification of our present indications for taking x-rays in this area.The potential dangers of ionizing radiation have long been respected and responsible organizations are constantly studying new developments that might add to the dangers and new knowledge that might affect conclusions.     

THE ORIGIN,FERTILITY AND TRANSMISSION OF MONOSOMICS IN GOSSYPIUM

The origin of 51 monosomic plants in Gossypium hirsutum is described, and the great majority are shown to be fertile and transmissible. Both fertility and transmission rate can be increased by outcrossing and selection. Monosomics which have been isolated in a standard hirsutum background can be recognized by distinct morphological characteristics, including modifications of both vegetative and reproductive structures such as smaller or narrower leaves, smaller flowers or flower parts, and smaller, longer, or partially collapsed bolls. Monosomics involving the large chromosomes, i.e., the A genome, are recovered more frequently than are monosomics of the D (small chromosomes) genome. Furthermore, monosomics of certain of the A chromosomes are recovered more frequently than others. Of 20 identified hirsutum monosomics, 7 are chromosome A-2, 7 are A-4, 3 are A-6, and 1 each is A-1, D-17 and D-18.