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A comparison of two modifications of Rappaport's enrichment medium (R25 and RV) for the isolation of salmonellas from sewage polluted natural water.

The development of Rappaport's enrichment medium and elevated temperature incubation as methods of salmonella isolation is traced. The recent recording of a merger of the two techniques by means of Rappaport--Vassiliadis medium is noted (RV medium). In Cardiff, we have found an earlier modification of Rappaport's enrichment (R25) by Vassiliadis to be efficient in salmonella recovery from environment samples. The current study compares the two media using sewage polluted natural water as test material. Under the conditions of experiment, R25 was more successful in salmonella isolation than RV, although the later medium inhibited competitive organisms better. R25 is a convenient enrichment broth for routine use. In combination with pre-enrichment it allows the use of a loop for subculture rather than a pipette. This increases safe manipulation. It also produces a high proportion of positive isolations at the 24 h subculture time in contrast to other enrichment broths. For these reasons it forms an integral part of salmonella isolation methodology in our laboratory.

Agar↗

A Heideggerian investigation into the lived experience of humour by nurses in an intensive care unit.

A literature search revealed no systematic enquiry into the experience of humour by nurses in the intensive care setting, suggesting that there was a need for such studies (Astedt-Kurki & Liukkonen 1994). This phenomenological study was undertaken using an interpretive human science approach of phenomenology grounded in the hermeneutics of Heidegger. The task was to investigate and describe the concept of humour in an intensive care unit (ICU) from an inductive-descriptive perspective, seeking to identify the essence of the phenomenon through an accurate description of the lived experience of humour. A sample of eight nurses with at least one year's intensive care experience was randomly selected. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, audiotaped, transcribed into text, checked for transcription errors, and returned to participants for checking to ensure reliability and validity. Main core themes were identified and categorized, then Colaizzi's seven steps were used for analysis. Themes and categories identified in the collected data were rich and varied, allowing for lengthy discussions on thoughts and experiences. The study revealed a rich experience of humour in the ICU, suggesting that humour is central to nursing, and therefore worthy of deeper analysis using the same methodology.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

Application of a computer-based chromatograph for automated water pollution analyses.

A modified head-space analysis technique, coupling thermal extraction with subsequent adsorption of organics on a poly (para 2,6-diphenyl phenylene) oxide adsorbent (Tenax-GC), has been found to be an efficacious tool when combined with gas chromatography for the study and monitoring of low molecular weight organics present in drinking water supplies (1-4). This procedure has allowed for the analysis of volatile organics in the low parts-per-billion range from 1 liter or less of tap water. Because thermal extraction requires smaller sample sizes than required in carbon-chloroform extraction methods and liquid/liquid extractions, the EPA has recently adopted this type of methodology (5,6). Passage of the Safe Water Drinking Act in December of 1974 has mandated that each state assumes the primary responsibility for carrying out the purposes of the legislation (7). Because the Act says that any supplier of water serving 25 individuals or more must comply with these regulations, large-scale monitoring programs will have to be undertaken. It was thus our desire to try to simplify the sample collection and data acquistion and reduction processes as much as possible, in the effort to make the procedure more adaptable for incorporation into routine monitoring programs. Also, automation reduces the experience and number of personnel required to perform the analyses. In addition to analysis of drinking water samples, the automated procedure described hereinafter can also be applied to monitoring industrial plant effluents, waste water treatment processes, and general quality control monitoring of low molecular weight organic compounds.

Autoanalysis↗

Frequency, clinical and demographic correlates of pathological dissociation in Europe.

Although pathological dissociation (PD) has received increasing scientific attention in Anglo-American countries, European research on the frequency, clinical and demographic correlates of this discontinuous construct are lacking. An 8-item subscale of the Dissociative Experiences Scale, called the DES-Taxon, was administered to five samples comprising a non-clinical population, students, unselected psychiatric inpatients, eating-disordered inpatients and psychosomatic outpatients with a total of 1,759 adult participants. In the two non-clinical samples, the frequency of PD ranged between 0.3 and 1.8%. Its prevalence was highest in the psychiatric inpatients (5.4%) followed by the eating disorders (4.8%) and the psychosomatic outpatients (2.2%). PD was seen in all diagnostic groups and it was associated with more psychopathological distress and younger age. PD is frequently found in clinical populations in European countries, too. However, methodological problems relating to its empirical determination might obscure the clinical and scientific value of the construct.

Adolescent↗

Total versus unspecific binding: standardization and optimization of receptor-ligand binding assays.

Intra- and interassay imprecision was evaluated in 3 in vitro ligand binding assays using different types of filtering devices, glass fiber filters and variations in methodology. In the [3H]-spiroperidol test, the already low unspecific binding seemed to be dependent on the type of filters employed, whereas in the [3H]-ketanserin- and [3H]-GR 65630-binding tests, differences were within the range of the normal variabilities. However, in the latter test, which is problematic owing to the high unspecific binding of [3H]-GR 65630, it was found that although the percentage of specific binding was fairly constant on different sheets, large differences in the absolute amounts of total and unspecific binding were observed on consecutive sheets in the same experiment. Thus, it is critically important to filter samples for total and unspecific binding together on the same filter sheet for the calculation of specific binding. Under these precautions, highly reproducible results for IC50-values in the screening of potential 5HT3-receptor ligands were obtained in spite of using rat entorhinal cortex, a relatively large area with suboptimal 5HT3-receptor density. In contrast, when using rat area postrema, which is optimal with respect to receptor density, more than 10 times the number of rats is necessary for a competition experiment due to the small size of this brain part. Since IC50-values for both areas compare favorably, entorhinal cortex should be used for ethical reasons and to minimize costs.

Animals↗

Ready-to-wear: discovering grounded formal theory.

As qualitative methods have become popular and qualitative reports abundant, researchers have begun to discuss techniques for synthesizing findings about related phenomena from diverse samples. Grounded formal theory analysis is one such approach that can yield higher level, broadly applicable theory from analysis of situation-specific substantive theories. Although grounded formal theories may lack the cultural detail and contextual tailoring of smaller, more focused "designer" analyses, they have the potential to serve as "ready-to-wear" models that fit experiences of individuals in a variety of settings.

Data Collection↗

A methodology based on NMR spectroscopy for the forensic analysis of condoms.

Both solution and solid state Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopic techniques have been used to determine differences in commercially available condoms. Whilst solid state NMR is useful for determining the polymer backbone, it is not useful for forensic analysis due to the commonality of the latex condom. However solution NMR spectra obtained following a simple extraction procedure using hexane, provides a fingerprint of the additives in the lubricants. Following the development of a flow chart, basing decisions on the presence of particular peaks present in the solution spectra, 33 of 38 condoms could be individualized. Samples were also analyzed after having the lubricant manually removed and soaking the condom in water for 3 to 24 h. These experiments were performed to simulate a case of the sample having been used and disposed of by flushing down the toilet, as may be experienced in a case of a sexual assault. The results indicated that the only significant water soluble component was polyethylene glycol. The overall results suggest that the method developed may be a quick and useful technique in characterizing condoms. The information obtained can be used to provide associative evidence between suspect and crime, and so be useful in sexual assault cases.

Condoms↗

Enteral suspension of nifedipine for neonates. Part 2. Stability of an extemporaneously compounded nifedipine suspension.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the chemical, microbiological and physical stability of an extemporaneously prepared nifedipine oral suspension, packaged in disposable syringes and prepared in a hospital pharmacy for paediatric use. METHODS: Two different suspensions were prepared, from nifedipine tablets and drug powder, by using an autoclaved 1.0% solution of hypromellose as the vehicle. The final theoretical drug concentration was 1 mg/mL. Doses of 1.0 ml were packaged into a 2 ml syringe with a cap. Nifedipine suspensions were stored under three conditions: at room temperature (22 degrees C), in a refrigerator (6 degrees C) protected from light, and at room temperature (22 degrees C) exposed to artificial daylight (400 lux) under controlled circumstances. The nifedipine concentration was measured in suspensions protected from light on days 0, 1, 3, 5, 7, 14, 21 and 28, and in suspensions exposed to light at 0, 3, 6, 18 and 24 h, and on days 2, 3, 5 and 7 after preparation. Nifedipine was analysed by a reproducible and validated stability-indicating HPLC-method. Microbiological and physical stability of the nifedipine suspension samples protected from light were examined for 28 days. RESULTS: Mean nifedipine concentration remained over 90% of the initial concentration throughout the 4-week study period in light-protected unit-dose suspensions, prepared from either crushed tablets or drug powder with hypromellose 1.0%. When exposed to light, however, nifedipine decomposed rapidly. Photodegradation of nifedipine exceeded 25% within 3 h and was essentially complete within 7 days. CONCLUSION: In the University Hospital of Kuopio, newborns have been treated with nifedipine suspension prepared from tablets, and preliminary experiences with administration of suspension have been encouraging. It may also be possible to apply this methodology to other medicines used in paediatrics.

Calcium Channel Blockers↗

GMAP: a genomic mapping and alignment program for mRNA and EST sequences.

MOTIVATION: We introduce GMAP, a standalone program for mapping and aligning cDNA sequences to a genome. The program maps and aligns a single sequence with minimal startup time and memory requirements, and provides fast batch processing of large sequence sets. The program generates accurate gene structures, even in the presence of substantial polymorphisms and sequence errors, without using probabilistic splice site models. Methodology underlying the program includes a minimal sampling strategy for genomic mapping, oligomer chaining for approximate alignment, sandwich DP for splice site detection, and microexon identification with statistical significance testing. RESULTS: On a set of human messenger RNAs with random mutations at a 1 and 3% rate, GMAP identified all splice sites accurately in over 99.3% of the sequences, which was one-tenth the error rate of existing programs. On a large set of human expressed sequence tags, GMAP provided higher-quality alignments more often than blat did. On a set of Arabidopsis cDNAs, GMAP performed comparably with GeneSeqer. In these experiments, GMAP demonstrated a several-fold increase in speed over existing programs. AVAILABILITY: Source code for gmap and associated programs is available at http://www.gene.com/share/gmap SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: http://www.gene.com/share/gmap.

Algorithms↗

The role of personal therapy for therapists: a review.

This paper reviews the research literature on personal therapy and makes some recommendations for how future work in this area may be improved. Despite the general acceptance of the importance of personal therapy amongst therapists, there has been relatively little research to evaluate its effectiveness. The vast majority of studies have consisted of surveys of therapists' opinions and experiences of therapy or naturalistic comparisons across therapists who have or have not had therapy. The interpretation of most findings is compromised because of small sample sizes and confounding variables, nevertheless some conclusions can be made. Whilst the majority of therapists feel that they have benefited professionally from personal therapy there is very little empirical evidence that it has any measurable effect on client outcome. However, there is some evidence that personal therapy has a positive effect on those therapist qualities often cited as constructive to client change (e.g. empathy, warmth, genuineness). What is evident is that there is a need for more methodologically sound research as well as a more theoretical understanding of how personal therapy affects clinical practice, before any firm conclusions can be drawn about its usefulness. It is suggested that it may be more useful for future research in this area to focus on therapy process rather than client outcome.

Humans↗

Selective plating underestimates abundance and shows differential recovery of bifidobacterial species from human feces.

The aim of the present work was to compare the efficacies and levels of selectivity of different culture-dependent and -independent methods for analyzing bifidobacteria in human stool samples. The three different culture media used here significantly differed from each other, particularly with regard to the recovery of Bifidobacterium adolescentis. Bifidobacterium medium failed to recover B. adolescentis; Beerens medium recovered some B. adolescentis organisms (17% of total bifidobacteria), whereas tomato-Eugon medium recovered mainly B. adolescentis organisms (58% of total bifidobacteria). A culture-independent method that combines GC fractionation of bacterial community DNA and 16S rRNA sequencing indicated that B. adolescentis organisms accounted for 85% of all bifidobacteria. Methodological biases, such as those described in this paper, should be taken into account in interpreting earlier studies and designing future experiments.

Bifidobacterium↗

The long-term psychological effects of a disaster experienced in adolescence: I: The incidence and course of PTSD.

Previous studies have shown that children and adolescents exposed to traumatic experience in a disaster can suffer from high levels of post-traumatic stress. The present paper is the first a series reporting on the long-term follow-up of a group of young adults who as teenagers had survived a shipping disaster-the sinking of the "Jupiter" in Greek waters-between 5 and 8 years previously. The general methodology of the follow-up study as a whole is described, and the incidence and long-term course of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). It is the first study of its kind on a relatively large, representative sample of survivors, using a standardised diagnostic interview, and comparing survivors with a community control group. Survivors of the Jupiter disaster (N = 217), and 87 young people as controls, were interviewed using the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS). Of the 217 survivors, 111 (51.7%) had developed PTSD at some time during the follow-up period, compared with an incidence in the control group of 3.4 % (N = 87). In the large majority of cases of PTSD in the survivors for whom time of onset was recorded, 90 % (N = 110), onset was not delayed, being within 6 months of the disaster. About a third of those survivors who developed PTSD (30%, N = 111) recovered within a year of onset, through another third (34 %, N = 111) were still suffering from the disorder at the time of follow-up, between 5 and 8 years after the disaster. Issues relating to the generalisability of these findings are discussed.

Adolescent↗

Pharmacological treatment of psychosis and agitation in elderly patients with dementia: four decades of experience.

A number of studies, using different research designs and assessment instruments, have been conducted to elucidate the differential effects of drug treatments for psychosis, agitation and aggression in elderly patients with dementia. We have reviewed literature published from 1960 to 2000 on this topic; 48 studies that met our selection criteria were identified from Medline and Science Citation Index. Antipsychotic medication was generally effective for the treatment of psychosis and agitation in elderly patients with dementia. In double-blind, placebo-controlled trials in this population, mean improvement rates were 61% with antipsychotics and 35% with placebo. Atypical antipsychotics appeared promising, but the number of well-designed studies has been small so far. Methodological limitations of the studies reviewed are discussed; future trials should ensure adequate sample size and duration and involve direct comparisons of individual medications. In conclusion, conventional antipsychotics are modestly effective for treatment of psychosis and agitation in elderly individuals with dementia, whereas newer treatments such as atypical antipsychotics appear to be at least as effective while having fewer adverse effects. Nonetheless, there is no currently available ideal pharmacotherapy, and psychosocial management is a necessary part of overall treatment. Additional large-scale, well-controlled studies are needed before conclusive statements regarding the value of treatment of psychosis and agitation with atypical antipsychotics and non-antipsychotic agents can be made.

Aged↗

Evaluation of an indwelling ruminal probe methodology and effect of grain level on diurnal pH variation in dairy cattle.

To evaluate a ruminal probe for recording diurnal variation in rumen pH, we fitted three ruminally fistulated cows with probes affixed to the inside of the cannula. Probes were connected to a data logger and readings were recorded hourly. The experiment was a Latin square design with cows fed three different diets: 50, 60, and 70% grain as a total mixed rations once daily. Feed offerings and refusals were recorded daily. The experimental period was 21 d. The first 6 d were for adaptation, followed by 5-d rotations through each of the diets. Daily probe readings were recorded at 4-, 6-, 8-, 12-, and 24-h intervals. At each interval, readings were recorded (precleaned), a sample of rumen fluid was taken, and pH was measured in the laboratory. As probes were removed from the rumen, probe ends were cleaned with 0.1 N HCl and reinserted into the rumen, and a reading was recorded (postcleaned). No protective pH probe shields were used in this experiment. There were no differences between pre- and postcleaned pH readings across cows for all diets. Mean time under pH 5.0, 5.5, and 6.0 were 0.2, 2, and 7.2 h, respectively. Diet affected length of time under a certain pH, only for readings under pH 6. Diurnal pH profiles were monophasic in nature. The degree of acidity increased after feeding and duration of nadir increased with increasing grain in the diet. Daily DMI increased but was highly variable within the first week after switching to the next higher grain level. These results indicate the use of an indwelling ruminal probe without a protective shield, cleaned, and calibrated daily can accurately measure diurnal variation of ruminal pH. In addition, transition to higher grain levels in the diet increases pH, duration of pH nadir, and daily DMI fluctuation.

Acclimatization↗

Shared meanings for military nurse veterans: follow up survey of nurse veterans from WWII, Korea, Vietnam, and Operation Desert Storm.

This study is an extension of a qualitative study involving military nurses in World War II, Korea, Vietnam and Operation Desert Storm. Common themes and shared meanings identified in the previous qualitative study were investigated using a broad sample of military nurses who had served at various times and different branches of the service. The present investigation used a survey to gather data, and results tended to validate results of the earlier study that the experiences of military nurses in times of war tend to transcend many factors including time and branch of service.

Adult↗

Cardiac muscle following quick-freezing: preservation of in vivo ultrastructure and geometry with special emphasis on intercellular clefts in the intact frog heart.

Intact frog, mouse and finch hearts were quick-frozen on a liquid He-cooled copper block. Adjacent frozen samples from the same heart were processed by freeze-substitution (followed by embedding and thin sectioning), freeze-fracture/etch (followed by platinum/carbon replication) and frozen sectioning (followed by freeze-drying), respectively, and examined with the electron microscope for fidelity of reproducing the in vivo state of heart muscle geometry, especially that of the narrow intercellular clefts between frog cardiac muscle cells. It was concluded that quick-freezing followed by the above procedures accomplishes that and that, therefore, narrow intercellular clefts are an invariant feature of the normal anatomy of frog cardiac muscle, which must be considered in physiological experiments. The methodology showed that quick-freezing through the epicardial surface is capable of producing superb cryopreservation for ultrathin cryosections, as well.

Animals↗

A study of respiratory infections in a healthy adult population during the 1987 Australian winter.

During the 1987 Australian winter, respiratory illness patterns were studied in a population of 454 healthy adults, aged 18-59, over a period of 45 days. These patterns were matched with data obtained from laboratory diagnoses for respiratory viruses, Mycoplasma pneumoniae and bacteria. Influenza B/1/86 was by far the most prevalent pathogen but other viruses including influenza A, paramyxoviruses, respiratory syncytial virus and coronavirus OC-43 were also present, either alone or in combination during the sampling period. Overall, 92 males and 101 females experienced one episode, 12 males and 22 females experienced two episodes and four females experienced three episodes. However, there were only 52 instances of viral or M. pneumoniae infections, of which 37 had a defined aetiology, while the remainder were clinically silent. No bacterial pathogens could be detected from throat swabs taken from 15 of 37 volunteers in whom a viral infection was detected, or from 43 of 70 volunteers who did not experience such infections. The study indicates that major deficiencies in our understanding of the aetiology of respiratory viral illness are probably due to methodological problems in obtaining laboratory diagnoses for many respiratory viruses, and that great difficulties exist in establishing an aetiology for respiratory infections based upon clinical symptoms alone.

Adolescent↗

Airborne rhinovirus detection and effect of ultraviolet irradiation on detection by a semi-nested RT-PCR assay.

BACKGROUND: Rhinovirus, the most common cause of upper respiratory tract infections, has been implicated in asthma exacerbations and possibly asthma deaths. Although the method of transmission of rhinoviruses is disputed, several studies have demonstrated that aerosol transmission is a likely method of transmission among adults. As a first step in studies of possible airborne rhinovirus transmission, we developed methods to detect aerosolized rhinovirus by extending existing technology for detecting infectious agents in nasal specimens. METHODS: We aerosolized rhinovirus in a small aerosol chamber. Experiments were conducted with decreasing concentrations of rhinovirus. To determine the effect of UV irradiation on detection of rhinoviral aerosols, we also conducted experiments in which we exposed aerosols to a UV dose of 684 mJ/m2. Aerosols were collected on Teflon filters and rhinovirus recovered in Qiagen AVL buffer using the Qiagen QIAamp Viral RNA Kit (Qiagen Corp., Valencia, California) followed by semi-nested RT-PCR and detection by gel electrophoresis. RESULTS: We obtained positive results from filter samples that had collected at least 1.3 TCID50 of aerosolized rhinovirus. Ultraviolet irradiation of airborne virus at doses much greater than those used in upper-room UV germicidal irradiation applications did not inhibit subsequent detection with the RT-PCR assay. CONCLUSION: The air sampling and extraction methodology developed in this study should be applicable to the detection of rhinovirus and other airborne viruses in the indoor air of offices and schools. This method, however, cannot distinguish UV inactivated virus from infectious viral particles.

Air Microbiology↗