The extraction procedures which have been successfully employed in the preparation of a florigenic principle from the tissues of Xanthium, are applicable to the derivation of an entity of similar activity from Calonectria culture. The Xanthium principle is acedic, with pK(a) values characteristic of a carboxylic acid (6). Although definitive chemical comparisons have not been completed, the extraction and solvent partition procedures that have been applicable to the extraction of the active entity from higher plant tissues have yielded florigenic preparations from fungal culture. The chemical principle from higher plant tissue may be the same or similar to the florigenic agent of Calonectria.The many responses of higher plants to growth regulators produced by micro-organisms are well known. The presence of a flower-producing principle from Calonectria (Fusarium) rigidiuscula parallels closely the pattern exhibited by those fungal species capable of the production of auxin and gibberellins.

Journal Article↗

PubMed1965

Prosthetic rehabilitation of a patient with bilateral hip-flexion contractures: report of a case.

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Amputation Stumps↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Relationship of depression to increased risk of mortality and rehospitalization in patients with congestive heart failure.

BACKGROUND: Patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) may have a high prevalence of depression, which may increase the risk of adverse outcomes. OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence and relationship of depression to outcomes of patients hospitalized with CHF. METHODS: We screened patients aged 18 years or older having New York Heart Association class II or greater CHF, an ejection fraction of 35% or less, or both, admitted between March 1, 1997, and June 30, 1998, to the cardiology service of one hospital. Patients with a Beck Depression Inventory score of 10 or higher underwent a modified National Institute of Mental Health Diagnostic Interview Schedule to identify major depressive disorder. Primary care providers coordinated standard treatment for CHF and other medical and psychiatric disorders. We assessed all-cause mortality and readmission (rehospitalization) rates 3 months and 1 year after depression assessment. Logistic regression analyses were used to evaluate the independent prognostic value of depression after adjustment for clinical risk factors. RESULTS: Of 374 patients screened, 35.3% had a Beck Depression Inventory score of 10 or higher and 13.9% had major depressive disorder. Overall mortality was 7.9% at 3 months and 16.2% at 1 year. Major depression was associated with increased mortality at 3 months (odds ratio, 2.5 vs no depression; P =.08) and at 1 year (odds ratio, 2.23; P =.04) and readmission at 3 months (odds ratio, 1.90; P =.04) and at 1 year (odds ratio, 3.07; P =.005). These increased risks were independent of age, New York Heart Association class, baseline ejection fraction, and ischemic etiology of CHF. CONCLUSIONS: Major depression is common in patients hospitalized with CHF and is independently associated with a poor prognosis.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Cadmium and selenium in blood and urine related to smoking habits and previous exposure to mercury vapour.

The object of this work was to investigate possible interactions of mercury, cadmium and selenium in humans. Selenium and cadmium in blood and urine were determined in this cross-sectional study of 130 males, of whom 77 had been previously exposed to mercury vapour at a chloralkali plant. Of the participants, 61.5% were smokers and 16.2% were never-smokers. The concentration of selenium in blood (B-Se) was significantly lower in subjects currently smoking more than 50 g of tobacco per week compared to never-smokers, whereas the concentration of cadmium in blood (B-Cd) was significantly higher in all categories of current smokers. In the multiple linear regression analysis, B-Se as a dependent variable was negatively associated with B-Cd, whereas current smoking habits were not included in the model as a predictor variable. In contrast, B-Cd as a dependent variable was positively associated with current as well as previous smoking habits, and negatively with both B-Se and the 'cumulative dose' of previous mercury vapour exposure. The concentration of selenium in blood was also negatively associated with B-Cd in the group of never-smokers (Spearman's r = -0.80; P < 0.001). In conclusion, these results suggest a depressive effect of cadmium on the concentration of selenium in blood, while smoking alone did not operate as a true predictor for this effect. Furthermore, previous exposure to mercury apparently modifies the concentration of cadmium in blood.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Competition and survival of health service organizations: a population ecology approach.

The survival of health care organizations is viewed, in this article, from a population ecology perspective. This perspective provides insight into how organizational forms are differentiated on the basis of resource availability under different environmental conditions. Selected hypotheses and a rationale are presented to illustrate the applicability of the perspective to health services.

Delivery of Health Care↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Does dietary arsenic and mercury affect cutaneous bleeding time and blood lipids in humans?

Fish species may contain considerable amounts of trace elements, such as selenium (Se), arsenic (As), and mercury (Hg). The present study investigated the relationships between dietary intake of these elements and cutaneous bleeding time and blood lipids in 32 healthy volunteers. For 6 wk, one group (n = 11) consumed approx 250 g Se-rich fish daily, providing them with an average Se intake of 115 +/- 31 micrograms Se/d, Hg intake of 18 +/- 8 micrograms/d, and As intake of 806 +/- 405 micrograms/d, all values analyzed in 4-d duplicate food collections. To study the effect of Se alone, one group (n = 11) included Se-rich bread in their normal diet, giving them a Se intake (135 +/- 25 micrograms/d) that was comparable to the fish group. A control group (n = 10) ate their normal diet, providing 77 +/- 25 micrograms Se/d, 3.1 +/- 2.5 micrograms Hg/d, and 101 +/- 33 micrograms As/d. The dietary As load strongly correlated both with bleeding times and changes in bleeding times (r = 0.48, p < 0.01 and r = 0.54, p < 0.002, respectively). Dietary Hg showed a positive correlation with LDL-cholesterol (r = 0.55, p < 0.01), whereas dietary Hg in the fish group showed a strong negative relationship with HDL-cholesterol (r = -0.76, p < 0.01). Selenium seemed to have only a modest effect on bleeding time. Our results suggest that mercury and arsenic from fish may be factors contributing to or modifying some of the known effects of fish ingestion.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

A cluster of fulminant myocarditis cases in children, Baltimore, Maryland, 1997.

The true incidence of myocarditis in children is difficult to estimate because many mild cases go undetected. This study describes an unusual cluster of myocarditis cases that occurred in young children living in the greater Baltimore area between May and October 1997. A search of multiple comprehensive databases and interviews with area pediatric cardiologists were conducted to identify unreported cases and determine the background rate of myocarditis in the area. Seven cases of myocarditis were found as well as two with a similar clinical picture and myocardial fibrosis on tissue examination. Six case patients with active myocarditis and one child with fibrosis died. The case children were predominantly black (eight of nine) and male (seven of nine), with no identifiable risk factors. The disease was characterized by a fulminant course with malignant arrhythmias. The greatest number of pediatric myocarditis deaths reported in 1 year prior to 1997 was three. Myocardial tissues were examined using immunohistochemistry, in situ hybridization, and polymerase chain reaction but no etiologic agent was identified. This outbreak is unusual because of both the number of cases and the fulminant course of the disease in this group of children.

Arrhythmias, Cardiac↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Electrocardiographic changes associated with acute cerebrovascular disease: a clinical review.

Patients with acute vascular disorders of the CNS demonstrate an abundance of both rhythm and morphologic changes in their ECG. Of these a few will demonstrate myocardial dysfunction and or damage. The value of the ECG in evaluating and predicting which patients will have myocardial dysfunction or damage is questionable. One would assume the echocardiogram would be of more help than the ECG in identifying patients with myocardial damage; however, little data are available. The reason for the poor correlation between ECG findings and clinical correlates has not been explained to date, but it is possible to postulate a theory. There are two mechanisms that might mediate ECG changes in these patients, ie, autonomic neural stimulation from the hypothalamus or elevated circulating catecholamines. Hypothalamic stimulation may cause ECG changes without associated myocardial damage whereas elevated catecholamines may result in myocardial damage. This might explain why so many patients have ECG changes and very few have demonstrable myocardial damage in general, or ischemic damage in particular. That cardiac antiischemic therapy does not change mortality may relate to the fact that treatment has been directed towards patients with ECG changes, which in turn do not correlate with myocardial damage. Better patient selection for such therapy might rest upon demonstration of wall motion abnormalities on echocardiogram. The weakness of this strategy is that many patients with stroke have preexisting coronary disease and wall motion abnormalities and thus echo findings may only document remote infarction rather than acute ischemia.

Acute Disease↗