Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to E Lewis.
The reasons for the difficulty of mourning a stillbirth and the therapeutic management of this mourning process are outlined. A case is described of failed mourning of a stillbirth which gave rise to a profound disturbance in mothering of a subsequent live baby. A psychotherapeutic technique is discussed which facilitates the failed mourning of a stillbirth.
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With about 1 stillbirth occurring in every 80 deliveries, stillbirth is a common tragedy. Yet it is an event which, by common consent, is cloaked in secrecy, and which by its very nature seems unreal. There are thus strong forces operating on the bereaved mother and her family, and on the professionals who care for them, to keep the crisis of stillbirth hidden away, therby in fact hindering the mourning and healing process. Bourne has produced statistical evidence to show that family docotrs are astonishingly reluctant to know or remember anything about the patient who has had a stillbirth. I would like to put forward some suggestions for helping doctors to overcome their reluctance to face the problem of stillbirth.
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Guinea-pigs were treated with agents which lowered the serum complement levels and the effect on the inflammatory reaction to intradermal turpentine was studied. A comparison was made between two antisera to beta1C/beta1A globulin which had been prepared in different ways. One was made using C3 fixed to zymosan particles as the antigen, and the other using chemically extracted beta 1C/beta1A globulin. The antisera to beta1C/beta1A globulin (zymosan) was found to have the greater anti-inflammatory activity. The effect of each on the parameters of complement studied, and on the circulating platelet count, was much the same. An antiserum to serum factors fixed to zymosan during C3 activication was prepared free of anti-beta1C/beta1A globulin antibodies. This was found to have some of the anti-inflammatory activity of the anti-beta1C/beta1A globulin (zymosan), as well as lowering total complement levels. Anti-gamma globulin andheterologous immune complexes also lowered serum complement levels and were antiinflammatory. However, all the above agents were also found to reduce the number of circulating platelets. This was in contrast to CVF which reduced complement levels by 90 per cent. but had no effect on platelet numbers. CVF also reduced the inflammatory response but was no more effective than the other agents. In view of these findings a role for the participation of the complement system, possibly involving the alternate pathway of activation of C3, is discussed as well as the participation of platelets in the reaction.
The ability of antisera to guinea-pig C3 to inhibit the Arthus and local Shwartzman reactions was studied. They were found to reduce the non-haemorrhagic component of the active and reversed passive Arthus reactions and to delay the appearance of the haemorrhage in the active Arthus reaction. Cobra venom factor, however, had no effect on the non-haemorrhagic components of these reactions and only delayed the appearance of the haemorrhage of the active Arthus reaction. There appeared to be a correlation between the serum complement level and the time taken for the haemorrhage to appear, and between the circulating platelet count and the extent of the non-haemorrhagic, oedematous component of the reaction. The haemorrhagic component of the local Shwartzman reaction was not affected by decomplementation with cobra venom factor. The ability of the antisera to inhibit the haemorrhage of the Shwartzman reaction was not dependent on lowering the serum complement titre. However, the haemorrhage was inhibited if the circulating platelet count was also reduced to very low numbers. Antiserum to zymosan alone had the same effect as anti-beta1C/beta1A globulin (zymosan) in blocking the reaction, although it did not alter the complement levels or the platelet counts. The possibility of an immunological cross-reactivity between zymosan and endotoxin in this action is discussed.
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A strain of Staphylococcus aureus has been isolated from a hospital environment over 3 months. Every isolate was lysed by phage 77, had high-level resistance to streptomycin, and was resistant to about 250 pg per ml of both tetracycline and sulphonamide; a combination of sulphamethoxazole and trimethoprim produced little bacteristatic synergy towards each isolate. All These organisms were thus considered to be "the same"; the variation in other properties was probably due to rapid evolutionary change in vivo. the variation in senxitivity to methicillin and neomycin, and the absence of penicillinase production in some isolates, probably indicated loss of the relevant genes. Several isolates had probably acquired resistance to lincomycin by a one-step mutatuon in vivo. The usefulness of lincomycin and analogues in treating staphylococcal infections seems limited.
Mutations (env) which resulted in increased sensitivity of gonococci to diverse compounds were studied by transformation. Strains carrying an env mutation were more sensitive than wild-type strains to several antibiotics, dyes, and detergents. The env mutations resulted in complete phenotypic suppression of low-level resistance to these same drugs determined by mutation at ery. Recombination was observed in transformation crosses between various env mutants. The env locus was not linked to the cluster of antibiotic resistance genes near str and spc.
From 180 gray squirrels (Sciurus c. carolinesis), 942 isolates of fungi representing 19 genera were recovered upon culture of hair-skin scrapings and toenails. Of the isolates, 170 represented known human pathogens and 142, squirrel pathogens. A human infection of Trichophyton mentagrophytes was derived from handling the squirrels. Skin lesions of seven squirrels were attributable to T. mentagrophytes and Mucor sp.
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Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Several bacterial strains carrying genes determining mercury resistance on naturally occurring plasmids will convert 10(-5)m Hg(2+) (chloride) to a form of mercury which is volatile and soluble in organic solvents. The volatilization activity is induced by exposure to HgCl(2).