Improved Paraffin Schedules for Plant Tissues

The two paraffin schedules here presented have produced less distortion in plant tissues than those commonly used. Both are modifications of the schedule described by Hemenway.¹ Schedule A is very similar to that described by Hewitt.² Schedule B usually causes less distortion than A but staining is not so bright as after A.     

Promoting Healthy Behaviors among Egyptian Mothers: A Quasi-Experimental Study of a Health Communication Package Delivered by Community Organizations

Decisions made at the household level, for example, to seek antenatal care or breastfeed, can have a direct impact on the health of mothers and newborns. The SMART Community-based Initiatives program in Egypt worked with community development associations to encourage better household decision-making by training community health workers to disseminate information and encourage healthy practices during home visits, group sessions, and community activities with pregnant women, mothers of young children, and their families. A quasi-experimental design was used to evaluate the program, with household surveys conducted before and after the intervention in intervention and comparison areas. Survey questions asked about women’s knowledge and behaviors related to maternal and newborn care and child nutrition and, at the endline, exposure to SMART activities. Exposure to program activities was high in intervention areas of Upper Egypt: 91% of respondents reported receiving home visits and 84% attended group sessions. In Lower Egypt, these figures were 58% and 48%, respectively. Knowledge of danger signs related to pregnancy, delivery, and newborn illness increased significantly more in intervention than comparison areas in both regions (with one exception in Lower Egypt), after controlling for child’s age and woman’s education; this pattern also occurred for two of five behaviors (antenatal care visits and consumption of iron-folate tablets). Findings suggest that there may have been a significant dose-response relationship between exposure to SMART activities and certain knowledge and behavioral indicators, especially in Upper Egypt. The findings demonstrate the ability of civil society organizations with minimal health programming experience to increase knowledge and promote healthy behaviors among pregnant women and new mothers. The SMART approach offers a promising strategy to fill gaps in health education and counseling and strengthen community support for behavior change.     

Study of United Kingdom product licence applications containing new active substances, 1987-9.

OBJECTIVES--To investigate the fate of product licence applications containing new active substances in relation to their degree of innovation and therapeutic category. To assess the numbers of volunteers and patients exposed to a new active substance when marketing autorisation is first sought. DESIGN AND SETTING--Observational study of records for each licence application submitted to the United Kingdom licensing authority for marketing authorisation from 1987 to 1989. SUBJECTS--118 product licence applications containing one or more new active substances. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES--Success of application for product licence as assessed by the decision of the Committee on Safety of Medicines to advise the granting of a licence (with or without conditions) or provisionally advise its refusal on the grounds of quality, safety, or efficacy. Assessment of numbers of volunteers and patients exposed to each substance during premarketing studies and clinical trials, and the numbers of treated patients available for an assessment of safety. RESULTS--118 relevant product licence applications were submitted during the review. Although 60% (52/86) of semi-innovative products fell into one of three therapeutic categories (cardiovascular, central nervous system, or anti-infective agents), only 41% (13/32) of fully innovative products fell into these categories. 47 applications were granted (conditionally or unconditionally) but the success rate for fully innovative products (56%, 18/32) was greater than that for semi-innovative products (34%, 29/86). The number of volunteers and patients exposed to a new product at submission varied widely and tended to be greater for successful applications. CONCLUSION--The results suggest a broadening of the pharmaceutical industry''s research and development programmes and that a more liberal licensing policy exists for fully innovative products than for semi-innovative products. The relatively limited exposure of patients to new active substances at licensing underlines the importance of rigorous postmarketing surveillance.