High frequency jet ventilation. A method for thoracic surgery

High frequency jet ventilation for thoracic surgery offers some practical advantages over intermittent pressure ventilation using bronchial tubes. Satisfactory blood gases were obtained in 50 patients and good operating conditions were provided.

Subclavian-axillary vein thrombosis: successful treatment with streptokinase

Proximal vein thrombosis has been associated with residual disability from the postphlebetic syndrome in patients receiving symptomatic therapy or heparin and sodium warfarin. This paper describes a man with painless swelling of the right arm secondary to subclavian-axillary vein thrombosis that was successfully treated with streptokinase and conventional anticoagulant therapy.

High frequency jet ventilation

A case is described where high frequency jet ventilation was used to avoid the cardiovascular depressant effects associated with conventional ventilation. Early weaning from inotropic and ventilatory support proved possible.

Improved Method for Detection of Starch Hydrolysis

A new starch hydrolysis detection method which does not rely on iodine staining or the use of color-complexed starch is described. A linear relationship was obtained with agar-starch plates when net clearing zones around colonies of yeasts were plotted against enzyme levels (semilogarithm scale) produced by the same yeast strains in liquid medium. A similar relationship between starch clearing zones and α-amylase levels from three different sources was observed. These observations suggest that the method is useful in mutant isolations, strain improvement programs, and the prediction of α-amylase activities in culture filtrates or column effluents.

Isolation and characterization of Schwanniomyces alluvius amylolytic enzymes

The extracellular amylolytic enzymes of Schwanniomyces alluvius were studied to determine future optimization of this yeast for the production of industrial ethanol from starch. Both alpha-amylase and glucoamylase were isolated and purified. alpha-Amylase had an optimum pH of 6.3 and was stable from pH 4.5 to 7.5. The optimum temperature for the enzyme was 40 degrees C, but it was quickly inactivated at temperatures above 40 degrees C. The Km for soluble starch was 0.364 mg/ml. The molecular weight was calculated to be 61,900 +/- 700. alpha-Amylase was capable of releasing glucose from starch, but not from pullulan. Glucoamylase had an optimum pH of 5.0 and was stable from pH 4.0 to greater than 8.0. The optimum temperature for the enzyme was 50 degrees C, and although less heat sensitive than alpha-amylase, it was quickly inactivated at 60 degrees C. Km values were 12.67 mg/ml for soluble starch and 0.72 mM for maltose. The molecular weight was calculated to be 155,000 +/- 3,000. Glucoamylase released only glucose from both soluble starch and pullulan. S. alluvius is one of the very few yeasts to possess both alpha-amylase and glucoamylase as well as some fermentative capacity to produce ethanol.

Purdue Pegboard performance of normal preschool children

Normative data on the Purdue Pegboard are presented, based on the performance of 206, right-handed male and female children between the ages of 2 years, 6 months and 5 years, 11 months. Results demonstrate developmental trends in the increased efficiency of peg placement for the right hand, left hand, and bimanual conditions. Scores increase monotonically with age; performances are stable, with high test-retest reliability. Continuity is evidenced between these data and those available for older children. Evidence for the dissociation of hand preference and peg placement efficiency in the younger groups is discussed.

Effect of a new analgesic, MR 1268, on circulatory and respiratory indices in volunteers

MR 1268, a benzmorphan derivative with marked morphine-like properties and weaker antagonist properties was administered to six healthy male volunteers who each received MR 1268 2.5,5,10 and 20 mg i.v. in random order. There were no significant changes in the cardiovascular indices measured. However, significant and dose-related decreases in expired minute volume were observed. With 20 mg, consistent increases in Paco2 coincided with maximum decrease in ventilation, indicating some degree of alveolar hypoventilation. Drowsiness was dose-related but of short duration and only significant with 20 mg. Pupillary size and reaction remained unaffected.

Irradiation for progressive paraparesis in B-thalassemia intermedia

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Adsorption of Bacillus subtilis bacteriophage PBS 1

Bacteriophage PBS 1 adsorbs initially on the flagella of its host, Bacillus subtilis (stage I). The phage can adsorb to both active and inactive flagella. Flagellar attachment is nonspecific as PBS 1 was shown to attach to the flagella of Bacillus species other than the normal host B. subtilis. The phage particle then quickly moves down the length of the flagellum to its base, the final adsorption site. Flagellar motion is required for flagellar base attachment (stage II). After proper attachment at the flagellar base, the phage tail sheath contracts sending the tail core through the final adsorption site (stage III). The phage DNA is then injected at this site (stage IV). Stage I adsorption does not cause loss of motility in PBS 1 -- resistant bacilli. The loss of motility observed upon infection of sensitive cells by PBS 1 may be associated with either stage II or stage III of adsorption.

Neuropsychologic function of children with severe hearing impairment

A neuropsychologic and medical study was carried out on a selected sample of 34 hearing-impaired children aged seven to 10 years at the onset of the study. In 16 children the cause of the hearing loss was thought to be exogenous. Eight of these had evidence for organic brain dysfunction. Nine children were thought to have genetic etiologies, and in nine no cause could be determined (sporadic hearing loss). Medical examination revealed several unsuspected abnormalities, particularly visual ones. Motor and visual motor deficits were frequent among hearing-impaired children with brain damage. The Performance Scale of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, and Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices, as well as the Paper Folding item of the Hiskey-Nebraska Test of Learning Aptitude appeared sensitive to the presence of brain damage. The mean score for the WISC Performance Scale fell within the average range for hearing children, supporting previous findings of cognitive competence of the deaf. In this sample, Hiskey-Nebraska scores tended to be lower than WISC scores. Reasons for this discrepancy were suggested and did not appear to be accounted for by brain damage. Deficits in items requiring visual memory, sequencing, and categorization were relatively prevalent but showed no etiologic predilection. They were thought to be related to the consequence of hearing loss rather than to brain damage. Difficulty with stereognosis highlighted the problem of deciding why a hearing-impaired child might fail a particular task. This difficulty suggested that failure might not indicate a deficit in the function the task was designed to measure, but rather, reliance on an inefficient strategy for success.

Use of a fiber optic probe for spectral measurements and the continuous recording of the turbidity of growing microbial cultures

This paper describes the properties and use of a fiber optic probe as an attachment to a spectrophotometer and its use for measurements in solutions and turbid suspensions. Measurements of a standard were identical when a spectrophotometer equipped with the probe was used or when a spectrophotometer was used in a conventional manner. The probe was calibrated for turbidimetric measurements with microorganisms by relating the apparent absorbancy measured on the spectrophotometer to the dry weight of each species of organism. Continuous measurements were made of the turbidity of growing cultures of Escherichia coli, Streptococcus mutans, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Transient changes in cell mass were observed in some cultures during continuous monitoring of growth. The data were recovered in a manner which allowed direct computer processing.