Domiciliary night nursing service: luxury or necessity?

The nursing records of the 242 patients who used the domiciliary night nursing care service in Newham Health District showed that three distinct groups of patients were nursed during 1979 at a cost of 8.8 pounds a day. Forty-three elderly chronically sick and five disabled patients aged under 50 received care for more than 28 days, 63 patients had terminal cancer, and 131 needed short-term care or observation. Data were also collected from a one-day survey of patients receiving care. This domiciliary care enabled the chronically sick and disabled to retain their independence and remain at home. Referrals from casualty departments and general practitioners avoided admission to acute beds. On account of the lack of continual surveillance the service is unsuitable for the elderly mentally ill.     

Regulation of pancreatic exocrine secretion in vitro: the action of secretagogues

Pancreatic acinar cells possess two functionally distinct mechanisms by which secretagogues can increase enzyme secretion. One mechanism is mediated by mobilization of cellular calcium and can be activated by any one of four different classes of receptors. The other mechanism is mediated by cyclic AMP and can be activated by either of two different classes of receptors. In addition to stimulating enzyme secretion, a secretagogue can cause potentiation of secretion, desensitization to the subsequent stimulation caused by the same or other secretagogues as well as residual stimulation of enzyme secretion. Although each class of secretagogue receptors can cause the same final effect, stimulation of enzyme secretion, the existence of multiple classes of receptors and the different mechanisms of action endow the acinar cell with a wide range of patterns of response depending on which of the several classes of receptors are activated.     

Detection of low molecular weight copper(II) and zinc(II) binding ligands in ultrafiltered milks—the citrate connection

Low molecular weight zinc(II) and copper(II) binding ligands were detected in ultrafiltered human, bovine, and goat milk by the application of the method of modified gel chromatography. Human milk contains at least three detectable low molecular weight copper binders, whereas bovine and goat milk contain at least two. All three milks show two copper binding peaks with the same elution volumes. Zinc chromatograms were less specific than copper. Zinc showed only a single detectable low molecular weight binding ligand common to all three milks. Elution volumes for both zinc(II) and copper(II) citrate and picolinate systems were measured. Elution volumes of both copper(II) and zinc(II) citrate complexes are identical to elution volumes of an intense peak observed with all three milks; it is reasonable to assume that at least part of this peak corresponds to citrate. Human milk alone has a relatively intense binding peak for copper(II) at the same elution volume as the glutamate complex. Human and goat milk have another low intensity copper(II) binding ligand peak at the same elution volume; a number of amino acid complexes have binding peaks at this position. No peak characteristic of the zinc(II) or copper(II) picolinate systems could be found with any of the milks.     

Enhanced bismuth digestive absorption in rats by some sulfhydryl compounds: nmr study of complexes formed

In a preliminary paper [Therapie 34, 397 (1979), we showed that cysteine enhances bismuth digestive absorption in rats. In this paper, we have studied in rats the effects of various thiol compounds (mercaptopropionic acid, penicillamine, cysteine, homocysteine, 2-mercaptoethylamine, mercaptoethane) and nonthiol compounds (methionine, serine, alanine) orally administered on the absorption and elimination of bismuth also given orally. Bismuth was measured in blood and urine by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrophotometry.All of the thiol substances, and particularly cysteine, homocysteine, and mercaptopropionic acid, have considerably enhanced bismuth absorption and elimination: whereas, nonthiol substances have had no effect. Moreover, the acute toxicity of bismuth was enhanced when bismuth was given as a complex with cysteine (LD₅₀ = 156± 20 mg/kg).Studies by nmr spectroscopy of interactions between bismuth and these organic compounds have shown that bismuth induces an important chemical shift of the protons of the alpha carbon of the sulfhydrile group. Mainly, studies of ¹³C and ¹⁵N have confirmed this fact. The selectivity of such a complexation, in our pH conditions, may be tentatively explained on the ground of hard and soft acid and base (HSAB) theory.We have suggested that an increase in the concentration of thiol compounds in the gas-trointestinal tract arising from food, or more probably from microorganism synthesis, could be an explanation for human encephalopathies.     

The biological activity of catfish pancreatic somatostatin

Catfish pancreatic somatostatin, which contains eight additional amino acids on the amino terminus of a tetradecapeptide with considerable homology to tetradecapeptide somatostatin (SRIF), is a naturally occurring homology of the hypothalamic peptide. The purpose of these studies was to determibe the biological activity of this somatostatin homolog. Inhibition of ¹²⁵I-labelled tyr¹-SRIF binding to bovine pituitart plasma membranes by catfish pancreatic somatostatin was approximately 33% that of SRIF. Pancreatic somatostatin has full biological activity measured by inhibition of growth hormone release from isolated rat pituitary cells, but 0.01–0.1% the potency of SRIF. Pancreatic somatostatin at 100 ng/ml produced a 50–60% inhibition of insulin and glucagon secretion from perfused rat pancreas, while SRIF produced comparable inhibition at 10 ng/ml. This report demonstrates that a larger molecular form and natural homolog of SRIF, isolated from fish pancreas, has the same (but reduced) biological activities in rat assay systems as somatostatin originally isolated from sheep hypothalamus.     

Scanning electron microscopic study of spermatozoa from gossypol-treated rats

Summary Spermatozoa from the cauda epididymidis of gossypol-treated rats exhibit distinctive departures from the morphology of spermatozoa from control rats: wrinkled and disorganized cell membrane in the head and tail regions, cell membrane missing from segments of the tail midpiece and principal piece regions, malformed heads, decapitate spermatozoa, retention of a cytoplasmic droplet at variable loci along tail midpieces, and looped tails. The observations suggest that gossypol exerts its contraceptive effect during spermatocytogenesis and spermiogenesis, including the posttesticular development and maturation of spermatozoa in the epididymis.     

The parasitoid complex of three noctuids [Lep.] in a northern Florida cropping system: Seasonal occurrence,parasitization, alternate hosts,and influence of host-habitat

Parasitoids of the cabbage looper,Trichoplusia ni (Hübner), the soybean looper,Pseudoplusia includens (Walker), and the tobacco budworm,Heliothis virescens (F.) were characterized in a 3.2-ha model of a north Florida (U.S.A.) cropping system (including tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.), soybeans (Glycine max (L.)Merr. and 18 other crops) not treated with chemical pesticides. The study was for a 2 yr-period; a minimum of three 0.0004-ha sections of row, or 0.0001-ha sections in broadcast or drilled crops were sampled weekly. In addition, sweeps with a net and some other sampling techniques were used in some crops.Litomastix truncatella (Dalman),Meteorus autographae Muesebeck, andVoria ruralis Fallen were the most important larval parasitoids recovered from cabbage loopers;Trichogramma spp. were by far the major egg parasitoid. Parasitization of eggs and larvae in crucifers (Brassica oleracea L.) ranged from 0 to 55% and 0 to 100%, respectively, and was generally highest during the spring and fall. Parasitization of cabbage looper immatures was highest in tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.). Parasitism by the parasitoid complex for the soybean looper larvae was high but eggs in soybeans were seldomly attacked by parasitoids. Tobacco budworm eggs were rarely parasitized in tobacco but were frequently parasitized in tomatoes and okra (Abelmoschus esculentus (L.)Medik). Parasitization of tobacco budworm larvae in tobacco was usually over 50% and was mostly byCardiochiles nigriceps Viereck; fewC. nigriceps were found from the other plants.