Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to R Frank.
This paper presents research findings on the effect of numerous psychotherapy variables on clients' satisfaction with psychotherapy in an outpatient unit of a community mental health center. The surprising result is that so few variables had any significant impact. Those that did have an impact raise some questions about the value of certain kinds of therapy.
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Hematological and blood chemistry values were examined in harp seals (Pagophilus groenlandicus) exposed to daily oral dosages of methylmercuric chloride (MMC). Two seals, exposed to 0.25 mg MMC/kg body weight/day for 60 and 90 days, respectively, did not show abnormal blood values. Two other seals exposed to 25.0 mg MMC/kg body weight/day died on day 20 and 26 of exposure. Blood parameters indicated toxic hepatitis, uremia and renal failure. Total mercury and methylmercury values in the tissues of the experimental animals indicated that harp seals can tolerate high levels of mercury in the brain and that the observed renal and hepatic dysfunction were related to the high accumulation of mercury in these tissues. Tests of renal function are useful in cases of severe methylmercury poisoning.
Clinical, necropsy, bacteriologic, parasitologic, histopathologic, toxicologic and animal inoculation studies suggest that organochlorine (PBC, dieldrin and DDE) poisoning was an important factor in causing deaths of free-flying ring-billed gulls (Larus delawarensis) in southern Ontario in 1969 and 1973. The brains of gulls dying with clinical signs of neurologic involvement, and dead gulls with no other apparent cause of death, contained organochlorine residues of significantly greater levels than those found in healthy gulls shot for comparison.
The wide potential of minicomputers and their versatility have modified the traditional image of the computer, allowing it to gain a real foothold in a cardiological service. Examples of some original programmes are: the automatic assessment of a pacemaker on the test bench, the formation of programmed impulses for electrocardiographic investigation, the analysis of arrhythmias by a histogram of the RR interval of frequency analysis, the recording of isochrones in pericardial cartography.
The use of a system of electronic potentials for locating the bundle of His during open heart operations has provided a means for localising the conducting pathways so that they are not damaged during surgery. The designing of a special apparatus for this purpose has made it especially suitable for use in man, and it increases the ECC time by only a few minutes. The apparatus consists essentially of electrodes designed specially for the purpose, a cardiac stimulator and a calibrated oscilloscope with an electrostatic memory. The effectiveness of this technique has been confirmed in a preliminary series of 15 cases.
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A comparison between the epicardial siting of the zone of pre-excitation of the ventricle in Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome and the ECG has allowed us to distinguish 6 topographical types, according to the orientation of the delta wave in the horizontal plane, and especially in the frontal plane which is often ignored: right anterior, left lateral, right of left anterior paraseptal, and right or left posterior paraseptal. The association of a heart defect with ventricular hypertrophy, or the coexistence of several associated accessory pathways prevents such correlation and makes it imperative to carry out intracavitary investigation and epicardial mapping to localise the accessory pathway if surgery is contemplated.
The authors report the case of a man of 22 years, with no previous cardiac history, in whom a Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome was discovered during the course of this first episode of atrial fibrillation with a ventricular rate of 300-350/mn; investigation (vecto-cardiogram, intra-cavitory ECG) showed the presence of a short circuit of the Kent type, with a high permeability, and localised in the left lateral position; this was confirmed by pericardial cartography. After the surgical division of the accessory pathway, the electrical phenomenon of pre-excitation disappeared. The current possibilities of operating on cases of a Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome justify carrying out a scrupulous electrophysiological study of each case, so that any accessory pathway can be precisely localised, and its refractory period determined; thus a pathway of preexcitation localised in the left lateral position, and having a short refractory period leading to a high ventricular rate under atrial fibrillation conditions, constitutes an indication for operation which may be urgent.
Dextransucrase of Streptococcus sanguis occurred in cell-free and cell-associated forms. Cell-free dextransucrase was purified by four successive chromatographies on Bio-Gel P 60, DEAE-cellulose, and Bio-Gel P 200 from the culture supernatant. The purification of cell-associated dextransucrase was made from the pellet of Streptococcus sanguis culture. Bacterial pellet was extracted with 1 M phosphate buffer (pH 6.0) and chromatographied by using an immunosorbent column. The two enzymes gave single bands in polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The molecular weight determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel was about 100 000 daltons for the two forms of dextransucrases. The optimum pH of the cell-free and cell-associated enzymes was around 6 and the temperature optimum was broad for the two enzymes. The KM values for sucrose were respectively 2 mM and 3 mM for cell-free and cell-associated enzymes. When primer dextran was added, the reaction velocity increased but the KM for sucrose remained the same, and the KA for dextran was 200 muM for the two dextransucrases. Trehalose and maltose acted also as glucosyl residue acceptors. Purified enzymes had dextran synthesising activity and invertase-like activity. The same properties of the two forms of enzymes and the positive cross reaction against anti free and anti cell-associated globulins stongly suggest the identity of the two enzymes.
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Samples of blubber, liver, kidney and brain, obtained from 10 male, 6 female neonatal, and 4 lactating female harp seals (Pagophilus groenlandicus), were analysed for DDT, dieldrin, PCB, and total mercury. Methyl mercury levels in blood were also determined. Biocide deposition was not significantly different in female and male ten day old pups. There were no significant differences in biocide levels in the liver of the 14/+ day old males, but in blubber there were significant differences in dieldrin and DDT. There was no clear relationship between biocide levels in the 6-18 year old lactating adults and their pups. Younger adult seals (6 and 7 years) were found to have higher levels of PCB and sigmaDDT levels in their blubber than did older females (10 and 18 years). Wide intraspecific variation was noted in organochlorine and mercury residue levels. Pups taken in 1973 were found to have lower organochlorine residues than pups taken in the same area in 1971. Preliminary investigation indicates that detectable amounts of organochlorine and mercury residues are capable of crossing the placenta in the harp seal.
Lightly anesthetized guinea pigs were exposed to 1 ppm of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and 1 mg per m3 of sodium chloride aerosol, individually and in combination, at low and high relative humidities. At low relative humidity (less than 40 per cent) the aerosol was a crystal, at high relative humidity (greater than 80 per cent) a droplet. Exposures lasted one hour. Changes in pulmonary mechanical function characterized by an increase in flow resistance and decrease in compliance were seen only when the mixture was administered at high relative humidity. The effect is ascribed to absorption of the highly soluble SO2 into the droplet before inhalation.
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Measurement of the threshold is important in the follow-up of pacemaker patients; it permits the assessment of the safety margin, between, on the one hand, the electrical impulse, and, on the other, the possible output of the pacemaker. In fact, one can only rarely obtain relative threshold measurements in the clinical situation using non-invasive techniques; this ability is limited to some units made only by a few pacemaker manufacturers. A decrease in the margin of safety may result from two main causes: an increase in the absolute threshold or a decrease in the pacemaker pulse amplitude due to depletion of the cells, or to electronic failure. If safety margin is reduced, and operative procedure is required to achieve the correct diagnosis by precise measurements of the absolute threshold.
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The case is reported of an 8 year old child who had a 1/1 atrio-ventricular conduction by the bundle of Kent after accidental surgical division of the bundle of His; this "accessory" pathway conducted satisfactorily over a period of 12 years. At the age of 20, the patient had a complete conduction block of the bundle of Kent, causing a complete atrio-ventricular block; this indicated the definitive insertion of a pacemaker.