Socioeconomic resources in medicine: review of the literature

In this era of intense competition in medicine, it is essential for health sciences librarians to keep abreast of the new and varied socioeconomic influences in the medical environment. A list of socioeconomic resources is provided to help meet this objective. A citation analysis of the Socioeconomic Bibliographic Information (SIB) database was used as a selection criterion. An annotated list of ninety journals, newspapers, and newsletters is included, which provides title of publication, publisher, cost, index information, and special characteristics. In addition, publishers and associations that provide socioeconomic information are listed, and an annotated list of standard statistical resource books is given.

Two-pan and operant lever-press tests of dogs' preference for various foods

The traditional two-pan choice test and an operant lever-press choice test were used to assess dogs' preferences between various foods. In the first two experiments the foods differed in flavor as manipulated by the amount of fat-coating added to a dry-food base. In the third experiment, the foods were commercially-available dry and semi-moist dog foods. The experiments illustrate that preference data obtained with these two test methodologies do not always point to the same conclusion, and that complexities are involved in predicting the outcome of a preference test from performance on previous tests.

An apparatus for making fine-grained measurements of canine eating behavior

An apparatus for making fine-grained measurements of eating and drinking in dogs is described. Examples of how this computer controlled measurement system can be used to illustrate eating behavior in one- and two-pan tests are given. Also, very fine-grained measurements are illustrated in illustrating a single meal segment and a single water drinking bout.

Twenty-four-hour free-feeding patterns of dogs eating dry food

In order to provide some detailed information on the feeding behavior of freely-feeding dogs, four adult beagles were maintained in an isolated outdoor environment where food and water were freely available. Observations across an 8-month period indicated that the dogs are episodically (in "meals") and that the total daily intake of food and water changed as the observation period progressed, most likely as a consequence of change in the ambient environmental conditions across seasons. Within-day changes in ambient temperature, and the timing of daily maintenance activities in the animal's runs influenced the temporal distribution of meals with the day.

Fine-grained measures of dogs' eating behavior in single-pan and two-pan tests

The feeding behavior of dogs in one-pan and two-pan tests was measured in the usual way (total food intake in the test) and at a fine-grained level (cumulative amount eaten on a moment-by-moment basis during the test). The four experiments reported studied dogs' reactions to different dry foods, and to semi-moist and canned foods. The fine-grained measures were informative about the dogs' reactions to the foods in several ways that could not be derived from the usual intake measure. The main value of the fine-grained measurements seems to be that they suggest new directions for research on feeding behavior that may improve the understanding of performance in one- and two-pan tests.

FMRFamide effects on spontaneous and induced contractions of the anterior gizzard in Aplysia

The effects of FMRFamide (Phe-Met-Arg-Phe-NH2), YGG-FMRFamide (Tyr-Gly-Gly-Phe-Met-Arg-Phe-NH2), and Met-enkephalin (Tyr-Gly-Gly-Phe-Met) on the isolated Aplysia anterior gizzard were examined. (i) FMRFamide inhibits spontaneous gut activity. While YGG-FMRFamide also inhibits spontaneous activity it is less potent than FMRFamide. Met-enkephalin does not affect spontaneous gut activity. (ii) FMRFamide inhibits the excitatory response of acetylcholine on both the anterior gizzard of Aplysia and the isolated stomach region of Navanax. (iii) Neither FMRFamide, YGG-FMRFamide, Met-enkephalin, nor acetylcholine stimulated the activity of adenylate cyclase in the Aplysia anterior gizzard.

Tissue sources and clinical application of four enzymes in phocid seals

Tissue distribution and plasma activity values of creatine kinase (CK), aldolase (ALS), gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT), and leucine aminopeptidase (LAP) were determined in 6 ringed seals, Phoca hispida, and in 7 harp seals, P groenlandica. Muscle tissues had the highest activity of CK and ALS, though high activity of ALS was also in most other tissues. The LAP and GGT were mostly concentrated in the kidneys; tissue LAP activity was generally low. Reference plasma values were determined in 17 ringed and 15 harp seals. The CK and GGT, respectively, are recommended for monitoring exertional stress and hepatobiliary dysfunction in phocid seals.

Septic Discitis

The clinical and laboratory findings in 15 patients with septic discitis are reported. The clinical picture was that of a sub-acute illness characterized by back pain, spinous process tenderness, and sciatic nerve root irritation. There was a considerable delay from clinical presentation to diagnosis (average 14 wk). The erythrocyte sedimentation rate was the most useful diagnostic laboratory blood test and the best indicator of disease activity. The relative value of plain radiographs, tomography, and radionuclide bone scans is discussed. Needle aspiration of the disc space was found to be a useful diagnostic test. We found that a diagnosis of septic discitis could be made even in the absence of positive bacterial cultures from various biologic fluids or from the disc space. Long-term oral and intravenous antibiotic therapy with controlled rest resulted in a favourable outcome.

Suppression of mouse erythroid colony formation by L1210 leukemia cells

The effect of L1210 transplantable leukemic cells on in vitro formation of erythroid colonies from CD2F1 mouse bone marrow progenitor cells (CFU-E) was investigated. Clonal cell culture was carried out by a methylcellulose technique. Human urinary erythropoietin served as the stimulator. After 44 hours of incubation aggregates of eight or more erythroid cells were scored as colonies. The number of CFU-E which could be demonstrated in marrow cells from mice that had been injected intravenously 6 days before with 5 x 10(4) L1210 cells was far below that obtained from normal marrow cells. When 1.3 x 10(5) marrow cells from leukemic mice or L1210 ascites cells were cultured with an equal amount of normal cells, the number of CFU-E expressed was reduced by 51% and by 86%, respectively, relative to controls with normal cells only. Neither lethally irradiated L1210 cells (4500 rad) nor L1210 cell conditioned media suppressed erythroid colony formation. It is suggested that in L1210 leukemia erythropoiesis is decreased because of a cell-to-cell inhibitory action of the leukemia cells on CFU-E.