bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Identification of a Retinal Aldosterone System and the Protective Effects of Mineralocorticoid Receptor Antagonism on Retinal Vascular Pathology
Authors: Wilkinson-Berka Jennifer L. , Tan Genevieve , Jaworski Kassie , Harbig Jacqueline , Miller Antonia G.
Published: November 2008

Blockade of the renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system (RAAS) is being evaluated as a treatment for diabetic retinopathy; however, whether the mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) and aldosterone influence retinal vascular pathology is unknown. We examined the effect of MR antagonism on pathological angiogenesis in rats with oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR). To determine the mechanisms by which the MR and aldosterone may influence retinal angiogenesis; inflammation and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) were evaluated in OIR and cultured bovine retinal endothelial cells (BRECs) and bovine retinal pericytes (BRPs). In OIR, MR antagonism (spironolactone) was antiangiogenic. Aldosterone may mediate the pathogenic actions of MR in the retina, with 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 mRNA being detected and with aldosterone stimulating proliferation and tubulogenesis in BRECs and exacerbating angiogenesis in OIR, which was attenuated with spironolactone. The MR and aldosterone modulated retinal inflammation, with leukostasis and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 mRNA and protein in OIR being reduced by spironolactone and increased by aldosterone. A reduction in G6PD may be an early response to aldosterone. In BRECs, BRPs, and early OIR, aldosterone reduced G6PD mRNA, and in late OIR, aldosterone increased mRNA for the NAD(P)H oxidase subunit Nox4. A functional retinal MR–aldosterone system was evident with MR expression, translocation of nuclear MR, and aldosterone synthase expression, which was modulated by RAAS blockade. We make the first report that MR and aldosterone influence retinal vasculopathy, which may involve inflammatory and G6PD mechanisms. MR antagonism may be relevant when developing treatments for retinopathies that target the RAAS.
Development of a Rat Model of Photothrombotic Ischemia and Infarction Within the Caudoputamen
Authors: Kuroiwa Toshihiko , Xi Guohua , Hua Ya , Nagaraja Tavarekere N. , Fenstermacher Joseph D. , Keep Richard F.
Published: November 2008

Background and Purpose—

Basal ganglia infarction is typically caused by the occlusion of deep arteries and the formation of relatively small lesions called lacunes. In the present study, a rat model of lacunar infarction was induced by photothrombotic occlusion of the small vessels within the caudate-putamen and subsequently characterized.

Methods—

Male Sprague-Dawley rats (n=143) were anesthetized, and Rose Bengal dye (20 mg/kg) was intravenously injected. The left caudoputamen was exposed to cold white light for 5 to 10 minutes via a stereotaxically implanted polymethylmethacrylate optic fiber (0.5–0.75 mm diameter). Neurological and morphological changes were assessed at various times during the following 6 weeks. Local cerebral blood flow was measured 90 minutes after photothrombosis by [
14
C]-N-isopropyl-
p
-iodoamphetamine quantitative autoradiography. The time course of blood–brain barrier opening and ischemic brain edema as well as the effects of aspirin and tissue plasminogen activator treatment were also determined.

Results—

A virtually round infarct with thrombosed parenchymal vessels surrounded by a layer of selective neuronal death was formed within the caudoputamen; it turned into a cystic cavity (lacune) over 6 weeks. A central zone of markedly reduced blood flow and surrounding oligemic zone were observed 90 minutes after light exposure. Lesion size was proportional to light exposure, and the severity and duration of neurological deficits paralleled infarct size. Early blood–brain barrier opening with edema peaked at day 1. After tissue plasminogen activator treatment, infarction volume and neurological deficits were reduced.

Conclusions—

This study describes a new rat model of lacunar infarction by photothrombotic occlusion of the microvessels within the caudoputamen. With this model, infarct size correlates with the severity and duration of the neuropathology and can be varied by altering light exposure.
Erectile dysfunction in type 1 diabetic males
Authors: Jamieson Fiona , Chalmers John , Duncan Catriona , Prescott Robin J , Campbell Ian W
Published: November 2008

In a survey of 142 type 1 diabetic males, 40—59 years of age, 76 (54%) had erectile dysfunction (ED). Using a multi-variate analysis, the six most significant associations with ED were age (p = 0.009), duration of diabetes (p = 0.001), glycaemic control as assessed by HbA1c (p = 0.003), weight (p = 0.003), hypertension (p = 0.06) and microalbuminuria (p = 0.04). ED was associated with a higher cardiovascular risk score.

In an assessment of categorical variables, retinopathy and laser therapy were also significant, reflecting the severity of underlying microangiopathy. It is concluded that despite advances in the management of micro- and macrovascular complications over the past 30 years, ED is still a common problem in diabetic males requiring careful assessment and appropriate treatment.
Nanomechanical behaviour of plasma sprayed PZT coatings
Authors: Keshri A. K. , Bakshi S. R. , Chen Y. , Laha T. , Li X. , Levy C. , Agarwal A.
Published: November 2008

Nanomechanical properties of the plasma sprayed lead zirconate titanate (PZT) coating have been investigated using nanoindentation technique. PZT coating processed at higher plasma power of 32 kW exhibited lower elastic modulus E of 98 GPa compared with the modulus (113 GPa) of the coating processed at plasma power of 20 kW. The variation in the elastic modulus is attributed to the fine porosity of the PZT coating, which is formed during plasma spraying. Porosity increases by evaporation of PbO phase during plasma spraying. Overall effective elastic modulus of both coatings is computed using micromechanics models and compared with the experimentally obtained values. Hashin–Shtrikman and rule of mixtures models predict values that closely match with nanoindentation values.
Electroless Ni–P coating on W–Cu alloy via potential activation process
Authors: Wang L. L. , Chen H. J. , Huang W. Q. , Hao L.
Published: November 2008

Electroless Ni–P coating was deposited on W–Cu alloy via potential activation at −0·8 V. The coating was characterised for its morphology, structure, microhardness and the corrosion resistance. Scanning electron microscopy observation showed the presence of smooth and compact crystals in the coating. X-ray diffraction analysis showed that the Ni–P coating was amorphous in structure. The adhesion between Ni–P coating and W–Cu alloy was qualified. Heat treatment can improve the microhardness of Ni–P coating. Both the porosity test and immersion test in 10 vol.-% H2SO4 solution revealed that the Ni–P coating exhibited good corrosion resistance properties in protecting the W–Cu alloy.
Mapping similarities in mTOR pathway perturbations in mouse lupus nephritis models and human lupus nephritis
Authors: Reddy Padmalatha S , Legault Holly M , Sypek Joseph P , Collins Mark J , Goad Elizabeth , Goldman Samuel J , Liu Wei , Murray Stuart , Dorner Andrew J , O'Toole Margot
Published: November 2008

Introduction

Treatment with sirolimus, a mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitor, has been shown to be efficacious in the MRL/lpr and NZB × NZW F1 mouse models of lupus nephritis, indicating a critical role for the mTOR pathway in both models. This type of demonstration of efficacy in animal models is usually a pre-requisite for advancement into clinical development. However, efficacy in an animal model often has not translated to the desired activity in the clinic. Therefore, a more profound understanding of the mechanistic similarities and differences between various animal models and human diseases is highly desirable.

Methods

Transcriptional profiling was performed on kidneys from mice with lupus nephritis; from mice who had efficacious drug treatment; and from mice before they developed nephritis. Analysis of variance with false discovery rate adjusted to p < 0.05 and an average fold change of two or more was used to identify transcripts significantly associated with disease and response to therapy. Pathway analyses (using various bioinformatics tools) were carried out to understand the basis for drug efficacy in the mouse model. The relevance in human lupus of the pathways identified in the mouse model was explored using information from several databases derived from the published literature.

Results

We identified a set of nephritis-associated genes in mouse kidney. Expression of the majority of these returned to asymptomatic levels on sirolimus treatment, confirming the correlation between expression levels and symptoms of nephritis. Network analysis showed that many of these nephritis genes are known to interact with the mTOR pathway. This led us to ask what human diseases are linked to the mTOR pathway. We constructed the mTOR pathway interactome consisting of proteins that interact with members of the mTOR pathway and identified a strong association between mTOR pathway genes and genes reported in the literature as being involved in human lupus.

Conclusions

Our findings implicate the mTOR pathway as a critical contributor to human lupus. This broad pathway-based approach to understanding the similarities in, and differences between, animal models and human diseases may have broader utility.
An Extensive Genetic Program Occurring during Postnatal Growth in Multiple Tissues
Authors: Finkielstain Gabriela P. , Forcinito Patricia , Lui Julian C. K. , Barnes Kevin M. , Marino Rose , Makaroun Sami , Nguyen Vina , Lazarus Jacob E. , Nilsson Ola , Baron Jeffrey
Published: November 2008

Mammalian somatic growth is rapid in early postnatal life but then slows and eventually ceases in multiple tissues. We hypothesized that there exists a postnatal gene expression program that is common to multiple tissues and is responsible for this coordinate growth deceleration. Consistent with this hypothesis, microarray analysis identified more than 1600 genes that were regulated with age (1 vs. 4 wk) coordinately in kidney, lung, and heart of male mice, including many genes that regulate proliferation. As examples, we focused on three growth-promoting genes, Igf2, Mest, and Peg3, that were markedly down-regulated with age. In situ hybridization revealed that expression occurred in organ-specific parenchymal cells and suggested that the decreasing expression with age was due primarily to decreased expression per cell rather than a decreased number of expressing cells. The declining expression of these genes was slowed during hypothyroidism and growth inhibition (induced by propylthiouracil at 0–5 wk of age) in male rats, suggesting that the normal decline in expression is driven by growth rather than by age per se. We conclude that there exists an extensive genetic program occurring during postnatal life. Many of the involved genes are regulated coordinately in multiple organs, including many genes that regulate cell proliferation. At least some of these are themselves apparently regulated by growth, suggesting that, in the embryo, a gene expression pattern is established that allows for rapid somatic growth of multiple tissues, but then, during postnatal life, this growth leads to negative-feedback changes in gene expression that in turn slow and eventually halt somatic growth, thus imposing a fundamental limit on adult body size.
A SHH-responsive signaling center in the forebrain regulates craniofacial morphogenesis via the facial ectoderm
Authors: Hu Diane , Marcucio Ralph S.
Published: November 2008

Interactions among the forebrain, neural crest and facial ectoderm regulate development of the upper jaw. To examine these interactions, we activated the Sonic hedgehog (SHH) pathway in the brain. Beginning 72 hours after activation of the SHH pathway, growth within the avian frontonasal process (FNP) was exaggerated in lateral regions and impaired in medial regions. This growth pattern is similar to that in mice and superimposed a mammalian-like morphology on the upper jaw. Jaw growth is controlled by signals from the frontonasal ectodermal zone (FEZ), and the divergent morphologies that characterize birds and mammals are accompanied by changes in the FEZ. In chicks there is a single FEZ spanning the FNP, but in mice both median nasal processes have a FEZ. In treated chicks, the FEZ was split into right and left domains that resembled the pattern present in mice. Additionally, we observed that, in the brain, fibroblast growth factor 8 (Fgf8) was downregulated, and signals in or near the nasal pit were altered. Raldh2 expression was expanded, whereas Fgf8, Wnt4, Wnt6 and Zfhx1b were downregulated. However, Wnt9b, and activation of the canonical WNT pathway, were unaltered in treated embryos. At later time points the upper beak was shortened owing to hypoplasia of the skeleton, and this phenotype was reproduced when we blocked the FGF pathway. Thus, the brain establishes multiple signaling centers within the developing upper jaw. Changes in organization of the brain that occur during evolution or as a result of disease can alter these centers and thereby generate morphological variation.
Chromatin associated sense and antisense noncoding RNAs are transcribed from the var gene family of virulence genes of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum
Authors: Epp Christian , Li Felomena , Howitt Cali A. , Chookajorn Thanat , Deitsch Kirk W.
Published: November 2008

Antigenic variation by the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum results from switches in expression between members of the multicopy var gene family. These genes encode the variant surface protein PfEMP-1, the primary determinant of the antigenic and cytoadherent properties of infected erythrocytes. Only a single var gene is expressed at a time while the remaining members of the family remain transcriptionally silent. How mutually exclusive var gene expression is regulated is poorly understood; however, it is generally thought to involve alterations in chromatin assembly and modification, resulting in a type of cellular memory. Recently, several aspects of the chromatin structure surrounding var genes have been described, in particular the histone modifications associated with the active and silent states of the genes as well as their subnuclear localization. Here, we demonstrate that this chromatin structure also includes the incorporation of long sense and antisense noncoding RNAs. These sterile transcripts initiate from a bidirectional promoter located within a conserved intron found in all var genes that was previously implicated in var gene silencing. Mapping of the 5′ and 3′ ends of the sterile transcripts indicates that they are nonpolyadenylated. RNA fluorescent in situ hybridization (RNA-FISH) analysis detects both the sense and antisense noncoding RNAs in distinct spots within the nucleus similar to the pattern described for the var genes themselves. Further, analysis by RNA chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) indicates that the noncoding RNAs are physically associated with chromatin. These sterile transcripts therefore might act in a manner analogous to noncoding RNAs associated with silent, condensed chromatin found in other eukaryotic systems.
Traditional versus modern values, self‐perceived interpersonal factors, and posttraumatic stress in Chinese and German crime victims
Authors: Maercker Andreas , Mohiyeddini Changiz , Müller Mario , Xie Wei , Yang Zhi Hui , Wang Jiangping , Müller Julia
Published: November 2008

Objectives The influence of cultural factors on mental health is not disputed in general – but elaborated research approaches are still lacking. We investigate cultural influences not only by nationality but also by value orientation (modern vs. traditional). A cross‐cultural comparison with Chinese and German crime victims included an assessment of value orientation according to Schwartz's theory (Schwartz, 1994) of personal values.

Design Chinese and German adult crime victims were assessed. By means of structural equation multi‐sample analysis, data of the two groups were compared.

Method Traditional (conformity, benevolence, customs orientation) and modern values (achievement, hedonism, stimulation), traumatic exposure, posttraumatic stress (PTS), and two self‐perceived interpersonal mediator processes (disclosure intentions, social acknowledgement as a victim) were assessed by self‐report measures in 130 Chinese and 151 German crime victims.

Results The two patterns of prediction for PTS differed between the countries: In the German sample both value types but in the Chinese sample only traditional values were directly or indirectly predictive of PTS. Traditional values inhibited social acknowledgement as a victim in China and Germany. In Germany, traditional values were related to increased PTS severity. Modern values predicted social acknowledgement as well as lower symptoms in Germany, but not in China.

Conclusions The study shows cultural and interpersonal factors that may contribute to the development of PTSD that are under‐researched in contemporary psychology and psychotherapy.
Negotiating urban post-modern identities in Galicia: the recovery of rural dwellings
Authors: Rodrguez Campos Xaqun S
Published: November 2008

The anthropological work published so far on the traditional houses of the Galician countryside has had a significant influence, on one hand, on the development of policies for the cultural conservation of the rural landscape, and, on the other, on the negotiation of urban post-modern
identities. This article analyzes the importance of the architectonic forms and spaces of farmhouses, country houses (including those pertaining to religious institutions) in the construction of individual biographies. It demonstrates the importance of representations of space and time in
the negotiation of personal identities, in a time period defined by cultural reflexivity.
Book Reviews
Authors: Robinson R.A.H , Sands Jennifer , Fouz-Hernndez Santiago
Published: November 2008

Churchill and Spain: The Survival of the Franco Regime, 19401945, Richard Wigg (2006) London: Routledge, viii + 211 pp., ISBN 0-415-36052-8 (hbk), 85.00

Constancia de la Mora in War and Exile: International Voice for the Spanish Republic, Soledad Fox (2007)
Brighton and Portland: Sussex Academic Press (in association with the Caada Blanch Centre for Contemporary Spanish Studies), 219 pp., ISBN 1-84519-166-8 (hbk), 35.00

The Cinema of Alex de la Iglesia, Peter Buse, Nria Triana-Toribio and Andrew Willis (2007) Manchester: Manchester
University Press, ISBN 978-0-71907136-2 (hbk), 50.00
A comparative study of Cocconeis scutellum Ehrenberg and its varieties (Bacillariophyta)
Authors: De Stefano Mario , Romero Oscar E. , Totti Cecilia
Published: November 2008

We present an ultrastructure-based revision (using light and electron microscopy) of the type species of the genus Cocconeis, C. scutellum var. scutellum, and four often-mentioned but poorly described, morphologically related varieties: C. scutellum var. baldjikiana, C. scutellum var. clinoraphis, C. scutellum var. parva, C. scutellum var. posidoniae. In addition, we introduce three new taxa, C. scutellum var. gorensis var. nov., C. scutellum var. posidoniae f. decussata f. nov. and C. scutellum var. sullivanensis var. nov. The taxonomic relationships between these varieties and the remaining validly described C. scutellum varieties are analyzed on the basis of their ultrastructural differences. We also provide additional information on the geographical distribution of all analyzed C. scutellum taxa.
Genetic Analysis of the Role of the Reprogramming Gene LIN-28 in Human Embryonic Stem Cells
Authors: Darr Henia , Benvenisty Nissim
Published: November 2008

LIN-28 is a gene recently shown to be involved in the conversion of somatic cells to induced pluripotent stem cells. We have previously shown that LIN-28 is highly expressed in human embryonic stem cells (HESCs); however, its role in these cells has not been investigated. We now show that, like OCT4, SOX2, and NANOG, LIN-28 is downregulated during differentiation of HESCs into embryoid bodies. In addition, we investigate the role of LIN-28 in HESCs by manipulation of its expression levels. LIN-28 overexpression impairs the ability of cells to grow at clonal densities, due to increased differentiation and decreased cell division. Analysis of cell differentiation under these conditions revealed that it is mostly towards the extraembryonic endoderm lineage. Moreover, we show that, during early mouse development, high levels of Lin-28 are also observed in the extraembryonic endoderm, and therefore it seems that, both in vitro and in vivo, high levels of LIN-28 may specify an extraembryonic endoderm fate. However, LIN-28 seems dispensable for self-renewal of HESCs; its downregulation neither impairs HESC proliferation nor leads to their differentiation. Thus, LIN-28 does not seem to be involved in the self-renewal of HESCs, but rather seems to be involved in their decision to switch from self-renewal to differentiation.
Diabetes Impairs the Vascular Recruitment of Normal Stem Cells by Oxidant Damage, Reversed by Increases in pAMPK, Heme Oxygenase-1, and Adiponectin
Authors: Sambuceti Gianmario , Morbelli Silvia , Vanella Luca , Kusmic Claudia , Marini Cecilia , Massollo Michela , Augeri Carla , Corselli Mirko , Ghersi Chiara , Chiavarina Barbara , Rodella Luigi F. , L'Abbate Antonio , Drummond George , Abraham Nader G. , Frassoni Francesco
Published: November 2008

Background

Atherosclerosis progression is accelerated in diabetes mellitus (DM) by either direct endothelial damage or reduced availability and function of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs). Both alterations are related to increased oxidant damage.

Aim

We examined if DM specifically impairs vascular signaling, thereby reducing the recruitment of normal EPCs, and if increases in antioxidant levels by induction of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) can reverse this condition.

Methods

Control and diabetic rats were treated with the HO-1 inducer cobalt protoporphyrin (CoPP) once a week for 3 weeks. Eight weeks after the development of diabetes, EPCs harvested from the aorta of syngenic inbred normal rats and labeled with technetium-99m-exametazime were infused via the femoral vein to estimate their blood clearance and aortic recruitment. Circulating endothelial cells (CECs) and the aortic expression of thrombomodulin (TM), CD31, and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) were used to measure endothelial damage.

Results

DM reduced blood clearance and aortic recruitment of EPCs. Both parameters were returned to control levels by CoPP treatment without affecting EPC kinetics in normal animals. These abnormalities of EPCs in DM were paralleled by reduced serum adiponectin levels, increased numbers of CECs, reduced endothelial expression of phosphorylated eNOS, and reduced levels of TM, CD31, and phosphorylated AMP-activated protein kinase (pAMPK). CoPP treatment restored all of these parameters to normal levels.

Conclusion

Type II DM and its related oxidant damage hamper the interaction between the vascular wall and normal EPCs by mechanisms that are, at least partially, reversed by the induction of HO-1 gene expression, adiponectin, and pAMPK levels. STEM CELLS  2009;27:399–407
Vitamin D reduces the expression of collagen and key profibrotic factors by inducing an antifibrotic phenotype in mesenchymal multipotent cells
Authors: Artaza Jorge N , Norris Keith C
Published: November 2008

Hypovitaminosis D is an important public health problem. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OHD) is now recognized as an independent predictor for cardiovascular and related diseases (CVD) as well as other chronic medical conditions. However, the biologic pathways through which these effects are mediated remain poorly understood. We hypothesized that exposing mesenchymal multipotent cells (MMCs) to the active form of vitamin D would increase the expression of selected antifibrotic factors that in turn would ameliorate the progression of chronic diseases. MMCs were primed with 5′-azacytidine to induce a fibrotic phenotype and then treated with active vitamin D (1,25D) or ethanol <0.1% as vehicle in a time course manner (30 min, 1, 5, and 24 h, and for 4 and 7 days). The addition of 1,25D to MMCs promotes: a) increased expression and nuclear translocation of the vitamin D receptor; b) decreased expression of TGFB1 and plasminogen activator inhibitor (SERPINE1), two well-known profibrotic factors; c) decreased expression of collagen I, III and other collagens isoforms; and d) increased expression of several antifibrotic factors such as BMP7 a TGFB1 antagonist, MMP8 a collagen breakdown inducer and follistatin, an inhibitor of the profibrotic factor myostatin. In conclusion, the addition of 1,25D to differentiated MMCs displays a decreased profibrotic signaling pathway and gene expression, leading to decrease in collagen deposition. This study highlights key mechanistic pathways through which vitamin D decreases fibrosis, and provides a rationale for studies to test vitamin D supplementation as a preventive and/or early treatment strategy for CVD and related fibrotic disorders.
AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF THE EFFICACY OF GAUZE FACE MASKS
Authors: Kellogg W. H. , MacMillan Grace
Published: November 2008

Masks have not been proved efficient enough to warrant compulsory application for the checking of epidemics, according to Dr. Kellogg, who has conducted a painstaking investigation with gauzes. This investigation is scientific in character, omitting no one of the necessary factors. It ought to settle the much argued question of masks for the public.
WHAT CAN A COMMUNITY AFFORD TO PAY TO RID ITSELF OF MALARIA?
Authors: Fisher L. M.
Published: November 2008

Anti-malarial measures, like any others, have a limit beyond which they may be deemed economically unprofitable. Here are given formulae by which ratios may be figured of costs relative to benefits. For sentimental reasons, however, a community may be willing to pay somewhat more than it could afford as an investment.
THE ILLINOIS PROGRAM IN CHILD HYGIENE FOR THE COMING YEAR
Authors: East Clarence W.
Published: November 2008

In its child hygiene work Illinois will use its health centers for a foundation and pursue salesmanship methods for follow-up. Rural public health centers, child hygiene stations and public school nurse units are to be established and all these agencies worked in coördination.
TREATMENT OF BEET SUGAR PLANT SEWAGE
Authors: Pearse Langdon , Greeley Samuel A.
Published: November 2008

Beet sugar is an industry yearly attaining greater and greater importance. Likewise the disposal of the wastes is a problem of increasing consequence in various sections of the country. This paper and the discussions constitute an unusual assembling of the facts, valuable to local authorities and those commercially interested, alike.
REDUCTION OF DEATHS FROM INFANTILE DIARRHEA BY CARE OF THE BOWEL DISCHARGES OF INFANTS
Authors: Levy E. C.
Published: November 2008

Utilizing the principle that care of bowel discharges is the most important single measure for the control of fatal infantile diarrhea in the South, the Richmond authorities have reduced the mortality from this cause from 150 per 100,000 in 1911 to 36 in 1919. Public health nurses have done this through health education of the family.
MILLS-REINCKE PHENOMENON AND TYPHOID CONTROL BY VACCINE
Authors: McGee Harold G.
Published: November 2008

Assuming typhoid to be an index of conditions favoring other causes of death, this author calls attention to the likelihood that anti-typhoid vaccination, by attacking typhoid alone, really masks sanitary conditions and may permit unnecessary deaths. Complete eradication of typhoid through vaccination would not affect the three other deaths suggested by the Mills-Reincke hypothesis.
PHENOL COEFFICIENTS
Authors: Tilley F. W.
Published: November 2008

The author states that a phenol coefficient indicates relative germicidal efficiency under laboratory conditions only, and has no practical value. Users of disinfectants ordinarily “follow directions,” and employ the dilutions recommended by the manufacturers. This author suggests that we make certain that the recommended dilutions are efficient, and cast aside the coefficient.
SOME PRACTICAL METHODS OF BACTERIOLOGICAL WATER ANALYSIS AND RESULTS OBTAINED THEREWITH
Authors: Graf August V. , Nolte August G.
Published: November 2008

The authors in this paper discuss the methods employed and the results obtained in the bacteriological analysis of the water about St. Louis, with the view ultimately establishing definite modes of procedure for such analysis.
THE RELATION OF ALCOHOL AND SYPHILIS TO MENTAL HYGIENE
Authors: Williams Frankwood E.
Published: November 2008

Formerly the problem of mental hygiene was considered too large and indefinite a problem to be considered from the public health viewpoint. But if this problem be divided into its constituent parts, most of these parts, considered separately, are manageable. Doctor Williams here discusses two of these groups—alcoholic and syphilitic insanities.
THE RELATION OF SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC FACTORS TO MENTAL HYGIENE
Authors: Campbell C. Macfie
Published: November 2008

The causal factors of mental disorder or maladjustment are either in the individual himself, or environmental. It is with this later case that the author chiefly deals, and calls to our attention some of the factors in our social organization which touch upon the problem of the formation of habits of adjustment, and which determine the nature of the environment to which the individual must adjust himself.
THE NEED OF BETTER CONTROL OF SOME NEGLECTED CONTAGIOUS DISEASES
Authors: Lane J. E.
Published: November 2008

Under the title here given, Doctor Lane discusses ringworm and favus of the scalp as communicable diseases. Reference is also made to infections following vaccination and finally Doctor Lane speaks of the problem of syphilis, of which he says, “We realize its importance but in most places we do nothing about it.”
THE CLASSIFICATION OF HAZARDOUS OCCUPATIONS
Authors: Hayhurst E. R.
Published: November 2008

In this paper Doctor Hayhurst describes the six classifications for hazardous occupations which were employed in a survey made in Ohio. He also explains, by text and diagram, the process of analyzing, upon a standard formula, the hazard of an individual case.
INOCULATION AGAINST TYPHOID IN MARYLAND
Authors: Hachtel F. W. , Stoner H. W.
Published: November 2008

We can scarcely understand why certain sections of the lay mind still look with horror upon inoculation, in spite of the many proofs of its efficacy. This excellent paper, in which is discussed the attack-rate among inoculated persons, adds to the proof, if proof be needed, a convincing argument.
THE PERIOD OF LIFE AT WHICH INFECTION FROM TUBERCULOSIS OCCURS MOST FREQUENTLY
Authors: Knopf S. Adolphus
Published: November 2008

This paper not only contains Doctor Knopf's own valuable conclusions upon the subject presented, but it is also a compendium of the opinions which Doctor Knopf has secured from a number of other eminent physicians.
Menstrual regulation in family planning services.
Authors: Kessel E , Brenner W E , Stathes G H
Published: November 2008

Menstrual regulation is a safe, effective, and economical method of fertility control. Its increased safety compared to first trimester abortion establishes menstrual regulation by vacuum aspiration for treatment of up to 14 days missed menstrual period as probably better medical practice than waiting to confirm the presence of a pregnancy. Because it is a postcontraceptive method, menstrual regulation has potential in family planning services both as a recruitment service and for the treatment of contraceptive failures. Its use as an only method of fertility control is being studied. The acceptance of this new family planning service will primarily depend on its availability, dissemination of information about the service, and the ability of women freely to avail themselves of the service without delay. Although long term effects of single and repeated use of menstrual regulation are not known, its immediate complications are few and it can be recommended as a useful addition to present fertility control methods in family planning programs.
Patient responses to request for written permission to review medical records.
Authors: Neuhaus E , Lyons T F , Payne B C
Published: November 2008

2,163 patients of 55 physicians in one county, were sent letters asking for their written permission to have their medical records audited by the University of Michigan research team. The overall positive response rate was 64.1% for one county. Differences in response rates were statistically significant among specialties, among diagnoses, and among individual physicians.
Decentralization in the New York City Department of Health: reorganization of a public health agency.
Authors: Mustalish A C , Eidsvold G , Novick L F
Published: November 2008

Since the World War I era there has existed within the New York City Department of Health a basic internal struggle between staff directing the bureaus at the central office and the district health officers operating field health centers throughout the city. Recently, in a five-year period, there was a dramatic reorganization of the Department which markedly affected its orientation and programs. In 1972 a new Commissioner initiated a reorganization of the Department which succeeded in decentralizing field operations in contrast to earlier efforts which had failed to reach this objective. The roles of bureaus and districts were redefined, with the latter receiving budgetary authority, authority to supervise personnel, assignment of health managers, and the implementation of a district cost accounting system. While operational decentralization has occurred, policy setting and resource allocation in response to local needs remain central functions.
The relationship of family size and spacing to the growth of preschool Mayan children in Guatemala.
Authors: Russell M
Published: November 2008

The height of preschool Mayan children is analyzed with respect to family size and the spacing of their siblings, controlling for parental heights and weights. Data on 643 cases were abstracted from the records of two previous longitudinal studies on the health of children under age five years living in the highlands of Guatemala. Height at age three years is estimated from the linear regression equations fitted for each child to measurements of height repeated at three-month intervals from ages one to four years. Family size is expressed in terms of birth rank, live siblings, and the number of dependent and independent family members. Family spacing is measured as birth intervals, i.e., the number of months between the birth of the index child and his previous and subsequent siblings. Most previous studies have reported that height decreases as family size increases. This study shows that Mayan children from both small and large families are taller than those from middle-sized families. Evidence is presented to support the hypothesis that children in large families are relatively tall because their early-born siblings contribute to the family fortunes. Birth intervals are positively correlated with height. The findings are discussed in terms of their implications for family planning.
Physician management in primary care.
Authors: Hulka B S , Kupper L L , Cassel J C
Published: November 2008

Minimal explicit consensus criteria in the management of patients with four indicator conditions were established by an ad hoc committee of primary care physicians practicing in different locations. These criteria were then applied to the practices of primary care physicians located in a single community by abstracting medical records and obtaining questionnaire data about patients with the indicator conditions. A standardized management score for each physician was used as the dependent variable in stepwise regression analysis with physician/practice and patient/disease characteristics as the candidate independent variables. For all physicians combined, the mean management scores were high, ranging from .78 to .93 for the four conditions. For two of the conditions, care of the normal infant and pregnant woman, the management scores were better for pediatricians and obstetricians respectively than for family physicians. For the other two conditions, adult onset diabetes and congestive heart failure, there were no differences between the management scores of family physicians and internists. Patient/disease characteristics did not contribute significantly to explaining the variation in the standardized management scores.
State level comprehensive health planning: a retrospect.
Authors: Waters W J
Published: November 2008

A questionnaire survey of the 50 state CHP agencies and a case study of a single state CHP agency were conducted to contrast the concept of comprehensive health planning with the practice of health planning at the state level. Both the survey and the case study evidenced a substantial disparity between concept and practice. For example, the survey indicated that the following tasks had not been completed by the following percentages of the responding agencies: defining the system of interest (64%), ranking problems (50%), setting targets (74%), thoroughly analyzing intervention alternatives (71%), selecting criteria and procedures for intervention evaluations (57%). The state CHP agencies were found to be lacking in the following areas: (a) technical analyses, (b) explicitness, (c) priority setting, (d) attention to health status indices and preventive interventions, and (e) integration of planning activities. The implications of these findings are discussed.
Effectiveness of educational and administrative interventions in medical outpatient clinics.
Authors: Pozen M W , Bonnet P D
Published: November 2008

This study examines the popular belief that increased educational supervision and increased administrative support in university outpatient clinics will improve physician performance, which in turn will improve the process and outcome of patient care. Positive effects on house officers' attitudes and better functioning of clinics with respect to follow-up, information retrieval, and prescribing practices were demonstrated. However, no differences in the process and outcome of care were identified by faculty judges using implicit criteria.
A preliminary study of circulating vitamins in a Puerto Rican migrant farm population in New Jersey.
Authors: Quinones M A , El Nakah A , Louria D B , Baker H , Devlin L
Published: November 2008

A preliminary survey of circulating vitamin B12 biotin, folate, thiamin, riboflavin, vitamin B6, pantothenate, nicotinate, and vitamin A & B-carotene of 53 Puerto Rican migrant farm workers was undertaken. Results indicate that hypovitaminemia existed particularly for vitamin B12, vitamin B6 and vitamin A.
External peer review of skilled nursing care in Minnesota.
Authors: Miller W R , Hurley S J , Wharton E
Published: November 2008

External peer review of each of the 8917 Medicaid patients in 228 Skilled Nursing Facilities in Minnesota demonstrated characteristics and needs of patients and produced documented recommendations for Medical Evaluation Studies to strengthen multiple aspects of treatment programs. As a whole, Medicaid patients were well placed and well cared for. However, wide variations were observed in individual facilities. Principal problem areas were those which prevail in all long term care facilities in this country: weakness of individualized treatment, weakness of restorative goal-oriented treatment, severe mental/emotional/behavioral disabilities, lack of strong leadership in medical and nursing professions, and weakness of psychosocial support programs.
Restraint systems for the prevention of injury to children in automobile accidents.
Authors: Scherz R G
Published: November 2008

Highway accidents are the leading cause of child deaths in the United States from the ages of 1-14 years-6,122 such deaths occurred in 1973. In most instances deaths and permanent injuries occurred with the child as a passenger in an automobile. One approach toward alleviating this problem is the restraint of children in automobiles to reduce the likelihood of injury in a crash.
Drug prescribing in hospitals: an international comparison.
Authors: Lawson D H , Jick H
Published: November 2008

This paper presents a comparison of prescribing habits for patients hospitalized in medical wards of university hospitals in America and Scotland. American patients received almost twice as many drugs both during and prior to hospitalization than did comparable Scots. The differences between the countries were consistent for symptomatic and for more specific therapies. As compared to Scotland, drug therapy in America costs patients more in terms of financial outlay and adverse drug effects. The data do not permit evaluation of the relative benefits to the patients of the different quantities or types of drug used for similar circumstances in these countries.
Radiation therapy among A-bomb survivors.
Authors: Russell W J , Antoku S
Published: November 2008

Survey of hospitals and clinics where atomic bomb survivors and their comparisons reported having received radiation therapy confirmed that 137 were so treated. The malignancies of five subjects were possibly related to their earlier radiation therapy rather than their atomic bomb radiation exposure, stressing the importance of recording all medical X-ray exposures as a potential variable in epidemiological studies of cancer etiology.
Population density and the rate of mental illness.
Authors: Schweitzer L , Su W H
Published: November 2008

An examination of age specific rates of psychiatric admissions within Brooklyn, New York, indicated that population density may function as an intervening variable in the production of mental illness. Measures of household and family contact were found to be significantly correlated to four rates of hospital utilization. These same measures carried unique components that were also significantly related to service use. Other measures of density such as people per acre and structures per acre were found to be unrelated to the rates of psychiatric utilization. The results of this study suggest that if density does produce mental illness its likely mechanism of action will be routed through household contact.
The development and application of indices of health: general methods and a summary of results.
Authors: Sackett D L , Chambers L W , MacPherson A S , Goldsmith C H , Mcauley R G
Published: November 2008

A multidisciplinary group has developed a health index questionnaire designed to measure the social, emotional, and physical function of free-living populations. The strategy has been found to be generally applicable, capable of application by lay interviewers, acceptable to interviewees, and amenable to index construction. Furthermore, initial evaluations of the resulting health indices suggest that they are biologically and clinically valid. These health indices have been successfully applied in a randomized trial of innovative primary care services. The comceptualization of individual sections of the health index questionnaire for each of these three functional areas, the generation of the instrument, and the evaluation of questionnaire responses for their biologic and clinical validity are summarized here.
Environmental correlates of pediatric social illness: preventive implications of an advocacy approach.
Authors: Morse A E , Hyde J N , Newberger E H , Reed R B
Published: November 2008

A control prospective study of child abuse and neglect, failure to thrive, accidents and poisonings included 303 inpatients and 257 outpatients. Analysis of maternal interview clinical data demonstrated significant differences between cases and controls in summative indices of environmental stress, including housing, employment, and access to essential services. The associations with a postulated common causal underpinning of these illnesses argue for a broadened, ecologic conceptualization of etiology and a wider range of preventive approaches. A family advocacy program addressing the stress issues and utilizing community based individual was offered to families with pediatric social illness and to a comparison group. Indirect corroboration of the impact of environmental crisis is idicated by the prevalence of requests for this help in impatient cases of abuse (38 per cent) and ingestions (38 per cent) vs. controls (14 per cent). Discrimunant function regression analysis of data from the meternal interview demonstrates similarity between the attributes which most saliently describe the abuse group and those which decribe the users of advocacy.
Collection of a clean voided urine specimen: a comparison among spoken, written, and computer-based instructions.
Authors: Fisher L A , Johnson T S , Porter D , Bleich H L , Slack W V
Published: November 2008

In an effort to compare different methods of instructing patients, 99 women 18-25 years of age were given computer, spoken, weitten, or no instructions for the collection of a clean voided urine specimen. The group who received computer instructions was the most uniform in its performance (P less than 0.002, F-test) and reported the fewest procedural problems (P less than 0.02, Fisher test). In addition, this group had fewer contaminating bacteria than the group who received written instructions (P less than 0.03 , Mann-Whitney test). The group who received no instructions had more bacteria (P less than 0.0001, Mann-Whitney test) than any of the other groups. The effectiveness of the computer instruction was probably related to numerous attributes, including the individualized quality of the dialogue, self-pacing, self-testing, and privacy.
Consumer nutrition knowledge and self reported food shopping behavior.
Authors: Fusillo A E , Beloian A M
Published: November 2008

In 1975 a national sample of consumers was questioned about their knowledge of nutrition, beliefs about food, and their shopping behavior. Findings indicate a particular need for education related to facts about iron, thiamin, riboflavin, and vitamins A and D. Consumers with low knowledge tended to have less education, lower income, and less prestigious occupations. Of these variables, educational achievement level had the strongest association to low nutrition knowledge. Using an index based on the three socioeconomic variables, low knowledge was more often present among the male and older shoppers, with age having the stronger association. Association of the three indices of nutrition knowledge, food beliefs, and reported shopping behavior were found to be positive and linear.
Male urethritis in King County, Washington, 1974-75: I. Incidence.
Authors: Gale J L , Hinds M W
Published: November 2008

In a population-based study in King County, Washington an attempt was made to enumerate all cases of male urethritis receiving primary care from all sources over a defined period of time. The incidence of gonococcal (GCU) and non-gonococcal urethritis (NGU) was estimated to be 1,143 and 2,541 cases per year per 100,000 men age 15 and over, respectively, during 1974-1975. Private practitioners treat 62 per cent of GCU and 64 per cent of NGU estimated to occur in the county. They report only 3 per cent GCU which they see to the Health Department. Only 60 per cent of the general practitioners, 33 per cent of the internists and 65 per cent of the urologists had treated males with GCU in the three months prior to being questioned but these three groups of specialists see 95 per cent of all male urethritis treated by private practioners. The proportion of all male urethritis cases which were GCU ranged from .16 in a university student health clinic to .35 in private practices and Health Department clinics.