Less lice in Bolton

Public concern when routine head inspections by school nurses were discontinued in Bolton's schools prompted the launch of a 'Less lice' campaign. Janet Dare and Kathleen Bailey describe how the campaign aims to reduce incidence of infection by making the public and professionals aware that head lice can affect anyone and are not primarily a schools problem.

Expression of the BDNF gene in the developing visual system of the chick

Using a sensitive and quantitative method, the mRNA levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) were determined during the development of the chick visual system. Low copy numbers were detected, and BDNF was found to be expressed in the optic tectum already 2 days before the arrival of the first retinal ganglion cell axons, suggesting an early role of BDNF in tectal development. After the beginning of tectal innervation, BDNF mRNA levels markedly increased, and optic stalk transection at day 4 (which prevents subsequent tectal innervation) was found to reduce the contralateral tectal levels of BDNF mRNA. Comparable reductions were obtained after injection of tetrodotoxin into one eye, indicating that, already during the earliest stages of target encounter in the CNS, the degree of BDNF gene expression is influenced by activity-dependent mechanisms. BDNF mRNA was also detected in the retina itself and at levels comparable to those found in the tectum. Together with previous findings indicating that BDNF prevents the death of cultured chick retinal ganglion cells, these results support the idea that the tightly controlled expression of the BDNF gene might be important in the co-ordinated development of the visual system.

Phylogeny of Drosophila and related genera inferred from the nucleotide sequence of the Cu,Zn Sod gene

The phylogeny and taxonomy of the drosophilids have been the subject of extensive investigations. Recently, Grimaldi (1990) has challenged some common conceptions, and several sets of molecular data have provided information not always compatible with other taxonomic knowledge or consistent with each other. We present the coding nucleotide sequence of the Cu,Zn superoxide dismutase gene (Sod) for 15 species, which include the medfly Ceratitis capitata (family Tephritidae), the genera Chymomyza and Zaprionus, and representatives of the subgenera Dorsilopha, Drosophila, Hirtodrosophila, Scaptodrosophila, and Sophophora. Phylogenetic analysis of the Sod sequences indicates that Scaptodrosophila and Chymomyza branched off the main lineage before the major Drosophila radiations. The presence of a second intron in Chymomyza and Scaptodrosophila (as well as in the medfly) confirms the early divergence of these two taxa. This second intron became deleted from the main lineage before the major Drosophila radiations. According to the Sod sequences, Sophophora (including the melanogaster, obscura, saltans, and willistoni species groups) is older than the subgenus Drosophila; a deep branch splits the willistoni and saltans groups from the melanogaster and obscura groups. The genus Zaprionus and the subgenera Dorsilopha and Hirtodrosophila appear as branches of a prolific "bush" that also embraces the numerous species of the subgenus Drosophila. The Sod results corroborate in many, but not all, respects Throckmorton's (King, R.C. (ed) Handbook of Genetics. Plenum Press, New York, pp. 421-469, 1975) phylogeny; are inconsistent in some important ways with Grimaldi's (Bull. Am. Museum Nat. Hist. 197: 1-139, 1990) cladistic analysis; and also are inconsistent with some inferences based on mitochondrial DNA data. The Sod results manifest how, in addition to the information derived from nucleotide sequences, structural features (i.e., the deletion of an intron) can help resolve phylogenetic issues.

Purification and characterisation of a brain-derived neurotrophic factor/neurotrophin-3 (BDNF/NT-3) heterodimer

The neurotrophins nerve growth factor (NGF), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) are known to exist in solution as non-covalently linked homodimeric proteins. The recent elucidation of the crystal structure of the NGF homodimer, as well as the conservation of structural motifs in the neurotrophins, raised the possibility that neurotrophin heterodimers might also occur. The formation of BDNF/NT-3 heterodimers was explored using a vaccinia virus expression system. Upon co-infection of cells with viruses expressing BDNF and NT-3, we could identify a BDNF/NT-3 heterodimer as a biosynthetic product and separate it from the BDNF and NT-3 homodimers. We could also show that the BDNF/NT-3 heterodimers can be formed irrespective of wild-type or exchanged prosequences, indicating that prosequence specificity does not influence dimer formation. In all neuronal survival assays that were used, the BDNF/NT-3 heterodimer was shown to be 10-fold less active compared with a mixture of BDNF and NT-3 homodimers. This lower specific activity was also measured in a neuronal population co-expressing receptors for BDNF and NT-3. The low biological activity of the heterodimer observed with neurons was not paralleled by a reduced ability of the heterodimer to interact with trkB or trkC receptors, as assessed by the induction of tyrosine phosphorylation of these receptors expressed by fibroblast cell lines.

Evidence for positive selection in the superoxide dismutase (Sod) region of Drosophila melanogaster

DNA sequence variation in a 1410-bp region including the Cu,Zn Sod locus was examined in 41 homozygous lines of Drosophila melanogaster. Fourteen lines were from Barcelona, Spain, 25 were from California populations and the other two were from laboratory stocks. Two common electromorphs, SODS and SODF, are segregating in the populations. Our sample of 41 lines included 19 SodS and 22 SodF alleles (henceforward referred to as Slow and Fast alleles). All 19 Slow alleles were identical in sequence. Of the 22 Fast alleles sequenced, nine were identical in sequence and are referred to as the Fast A haplotypes. The Slow allele sequence differed from the Fast A haplotype at a single nucleotide site, the site that accounts for the amino acid difference between SODS and SODF. There were nine other haplotypes among the remaining 13 Fast alleles sequenced. The overall level of nucleotide diversity (pi) in this sample is not greatly different than that found at other loci in D. melanogaster. It is concluded that the Slow/Fast polymorphism is a recently arisen polymorphism, not an old balanced polymorphism. The large group of nearly identical haplotypes suggests that a recent mutation, at the Sod locus or tightly linked to it, has increased rapidly in frequency to around 50%, both in California and Spain. The application of a new statistical test demonstrates that the occurrence of such large numbers of haplotypes with so little variation among them is very unlikely under the usual equilibrium neutral model. We suggest that the high frequency of some haplotypes is due to natural selection at the Sod locus or at a tightly linked locus.

Are patients with neoplasia at an increased risk for cardiac myxomas?

A case-control study was undertaken to assess whether a significant association exists between the presence of a neoplasm or malignancy and the presence of a cardiac myxoma. We identified 13 patients seen at our institution between 1935 and 1990 whose autopsies revealed a cardiac myxoma that was undetected during the patient's lifetime. For each patient four control subjects were selected among the autopsied patients who had never had a cardiac myxoma; these were matched for age at death, gender, and year of autopsy. The institutional medical records and autopsy reports revealed that 46% of the patients and 65% of their controls had a neoplasm diagnosed prior to or at autopsy. The estimated odds ratio was 0.34 (95% confidence interval, 0.05 to 1.84). There was insufficient evidence to conclude that an association exists between the presence of a neoplasm and the presence of a cardiac myxoma (P = .2722).

Effect of gender on long-term outcome of angina pectoris and myocardial infarction/sudden unexpected death

OBJECTIVE

To determine the effects of female gender on long-term survival and subsequent coronary heart disease events in a population developing first clinical manifestations of coronary artery disease.

DESIGN

Follow-up of all Rochester, Minn, residents first diagnosed with either angina pectoris or myocardial infarction/sudden unexpected death between January 1, 1960, and December 31, 1979.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Patients with angina pectoris were followed up through 1982 for survival and time to initial myocardial infarction/cardiac death. Patients with myocardial infarction were followed up through 1982 for survival and time to recurrent myocardial infarction/cardiac death.

RESULTS

Angina pectoris was the initial diagnosis for 529 women and 504 men. Myocardial infarction or sudden unexpected death was the initial diagnosis for 611 women and 997 men. The average age of patients diagnosed with angina pectoris was 67.0 years (SE, 0.5 years) for women and 60.0 years (SE, 0.5 years) for men. The average age of patients diagnosed with myocardial infarction/sudden unexpected death was 71.9 years (SE, 0.5 years) for women and 62.0 years (SE, 0.4 years) for men. Women presenting with angina pectoris survived significantly longer and had a lower incidence of subsequent myocardial infarction/cardiac death compared with men of similar age (P < .01). When rates of myocardial infarction and sudden unexpected death were combined to assess all cardiac endpoints with objective criteria ("hard" endpoints), women presenting with myocardial infarction/sudden unexpected death had survival rates and risk of subsequent myocardial infarction/coronary death that were similar to men of the same age. When survival following myocardial infarction was analyzed separately, survival also did not vary by gender.

CONCLUSION

In this population, women with angina pectoris as an initial diagnosis, but not those with myocardial infarction or sudden unexpected death, have longer survival and lower risk of subsequent myocardial infarction/cardiac death than do men with the same presentation and of a similar age.

Fetal haemoglobin and early manifestations of homozygous sickle cell disease

The relevance of fetal haemoglobin (HbF) concentration to the development of early clinical manifestations of homozygous sickle (SS) disease has been investigated by examining the time to first occurrence and the proportional hazard of these complications in three groups of the HbF distribution at age 5 years. HbF was significantly related to dactylitis, painful crises, acute chest syndrome, and acute splenic sequestration. The relationship suggested that a critically low HbF concentration increased the risk, little difference in risk occurring between the medium and high HbF groups. The abdominal painful crisis and hypersplenism were not related to HbF concentration suggesting that the degree of sickling may not be important in their genesis. Parental education on acute splenic sequestration should be focused on children with HbF concentrations in the lowest part of the HbF distribution for age.

Transport regulation of recombinant gene expression in E. coli and B. subtilis

Expression kinetics of the lactose (lac) operon in Escherichia coli are reviewed for both wild-type and recombinant cell cultures under chemostatic conditions. A unified model which involves regulation of active inducer (lactose) transport, promoter-operator regulated expression of the lac operon, glucose-mediated inducer exclusion, and catabolite repression is summarized and supporting data is shown to verify its accuracy. The synthesis of alpha-amylase with a recombinant form of Bacillus subtilis is also reviewed to point out generic features in transport regulation, the lac operon model providing a point of departure. While there are many similarities in the influence of transport on both regulating models, there are also important differences. In a chemostat system, the synthesis of alpha-amylase is nongrowth associated, while beta-galactosidase is a growth-associated enzyme. Nevertheless, transport regulation is an important feature in both instances.

Trauma internship: a success story

Internships, valuable mechanisms that bridge the gap between academic preparation and initial clinical experience, are attractive to new graduates who have had limited exposure to different aspects of nursing and want a chance to learn more about a particular specialty. Upon completion of an internship, nurses have a broader knowledge base than those who have had an indepth orientation to just one nursing unit. This article describes the development and implementation of a trauma internship in a 570-bed tertiary care, level I trauma center. Program components and evaluation are presented.

Post-triathalon delirium

This is a case presentation of acute delirium in a previously healthy man. It was originally discussed during Morbidity and Mortality Conference at The George Washington, Georgetown Residency Program in Emergency Medicine, December 1989.

Emboli in infective endocarditis: the prognostic value of echocardiography

OBJECTIVE

To determine whether vegetations visualized on two-dimensional echocardiography are an independent risk factor for the development of subsequent emboli in patients with infective endocarditis and to assess the timing of emboli relative to the initiation of antimicrobial therapy.

DESIGN

Investigator-blinded, retrospective incidence cohort study.

SETTING

Tertiary referral center.

PATIENTS

Patients with left-sided native valve infective endocarditis who had two-dimensional echocardiography within 72 hours of beginning antimicrobial therapy.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

The crude incidence rate of first embolic events in patients receiving antimicrobial therapy was 6.2 per 1000 patient-days (95% CI, 4.2 to 9.2). The rates in patients with and without vegetations were 7.1 and 4.9 per 1000 patient-days, respectively (incidence rate ratio, 1.4; 95% CI, 0.6 to 3.3). The relation between vegetations and risk for emboli was microorganism-dependent: Stratified incidence rate ratios were 6.9 (95% CI, 1.1 to 42.5; P less than 0.05) and 1.0 (95% CI, 0.2 to 3.9) for viridans streptococcal and Staphylococcus aureus endocarditis, respectively. The rate of first embolic events diminished over time (P less than 0.001), falling from 13 per 1000 patient-days during the first week of therapy to less than 1.2 per 1000 patient-days after completion of the second week of therapy.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, the presence of vegetations on echocardiography was not associated with a significantly higher risk for embolus in patients with left-sided native valve infective endocarditis. The relative risk for embolic events associated with echocardiographically visualized vegetations may be microorganism-dependent, with a significantly increased risk seen only in patients with viridans streptococcal infection. The rate of embolic events declines with time after initiation of antimicrobial treatment.

The structure of expert diagnostic knowledge in occupational medicine

Development of an artificial intelligence expert system for diagnosing occupational lung disease requires explicit specification of the structure of knowledge necessary in clinical occupational medicine independent of the process by which the knowledge is utilized. Furthermore, explicit recognition of sources of uncertainty is necessary. Seven categories of knowledge define the diagnostic knowledge base in occupational pulmonary medicine. These include four objects (jobs, industries, exposures, and diseases) and three relationships between pairs of objects. This analysis demonstrates some of the unique aspects of occupational medicine expertise.

Identification and characterization of a novel member of the nerve growth factor/brain-derived neurotrophic factor family

The survival and functional maintenance of vertebrate neurons critically depends on the availability of specific neurotrophic factors. So far, only two such factors, nerve growth factor (NGF) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) have been characterized and shown to have the typical features of secretory proteins. This characterization has been possible because of the extraordinarily large quantities of NGF in some adult tissues, and the virtually unlimited availability of brain tissue from which BDNF was isolated. Both NGF and BDNF promote the survival of distinct neuronal populations in vivo and are related in their primary structure, suggesting that they are members of a gene family. Although there is little doubt about the existence of other such proteins, their low abundance has rendered their identification and characterization difficult. Taking advantage of sequence identities between NGF and BDNF, we have now identified a third member of this family, which we name neurotrophin-3. Both the tissue distribution of the messenger RNA and the neuronal specificity of this secretory protein differ from those of NGF and BDNF. Alignment of the sequences of the three proteins reveals a remarkable number of amino acid identities, including all cysteine residues. This alignment also delineates four variable domains, each of 7-11 amino acids, indicating structural elements presumably involved in the neuronal specificity of these proteins.

The relation between resource limitations and optional conceptual processing by children and adults

In some situations children fail to perform optional conceptual processing that they are able to perform. The purpose of the 4 experiments was to determine if the difficulty of word identification affects optional conceptual processing by second/third graders, fifth graders, and college students in a cued recall task. Conceptual processing was manipulated by presenting Hard (e.g., hawk eagle canary) or Easy (river lake canary) word triplets that varied in the contrastive processing necessary to identify the "odd" target word (canary). The orienting activity also varied: for the Oddity Choice activity, contrastive processing was obligatory because the subject had to identify the target; for the Read activity, contrastive processing was optional because the experimenter identified the target. A recall advantage for the Hard over the Easy triplets was the measure of contrastive processing. Finally, the difficulty of word identification varied in that the subjects read the stimuli or the experimenter read the stimuli, and all the words were degraded, only the nontarget words were degraded, or all the words were intact. The results established that contrastive processing facilitates recall, and that word identification difficulty may limit the extent of optional contrastive processing.

Analysing changes in the presence of informative right censoring caused by death and withdrawal

Several approaches for estimating and comparing the rates of change of a continuous variable in two treatment groups in the presence of informative right censoring are reviewed and compared. The comparisons are made under different models for the censoring probabilities and various types of treatment effects. Some recommendations are discussed regarding the application of these approaches to the different settings.

Change in physician perspective on cholesterol and heart disease. Results from two national surveys

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute sponsored national telephone surveys of practicing physicians in 1983 (N = 1610) and 1986 (N = 1277) to assess attitudes and practices regarding elevated serum cholesterol levels. The 1983 survey was conducted just before the release of the results of the Lipid Research Clinics Coronary Primary Prevention Trial, which showed that a reduction in the blood cholesterol level reduced coronary heart disease. In 1986, 64% of physicians thought that reducing high blood cholesterol levels would have a large effect on heart disease, up considerably from 39% in 1983. Whereas in 1983, physicians attributed considerably less preventive value to reducing the cholesterol level than to reducing blood pressure or smoking, this disparity was substantially smaller in 1986. The median range of blood cholesterol at which diet therapy was initiated was 6.21 to 6.70 mmol/L (240 to 259 mg/dL) in 1986, down from 6.72 to 7.21 mmol/L (260 to 279 mg/dL) in 1983; the median for drug therapy was 7.76 to 8.25 mmol/L. (300 to 319 mg/dL) in 1986 and 8.79 to 9.28 mmol/L (340 to 359 mg/dL) in 1983. In 1986, 87% of physicians surveyed felt that medical evidence warranted the recommended treatment levels set forth in the 1984 National Institutes of Health Consensus Conference on Lowering Blood Cholesterol. These changes indicate that by 1986, physicians were more convinced of the benefit of lowering high blood cholesterol levels and were treating patients accordingly. The data also suggest areas for continued educational initiatives.

Change in public perspective on cholesterol and heart disease. Results from two national surveys

The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, Bethesda, Md, and the Food and Drug Administration, Washington, DC, sponsored two national probability telephone surveys (N = 4000) of adults to assess attitudes and knowledge about heart disease risk from high blood cholesterol levels and the public's efforts to lower blood cholesterol levels. The first survey was conducted in 1983, before release of the results from the Lipid Research Clinics Coronary Primary Prevention Trial, which showed that a reduction in the blood cholesterol level reduced coronary heart disease; the second survey was conducted in 1986. The percentage of adults who believed that reducing high blood cholesterol levels would have a large effect on heart disease increased from 64% in 1983 to 72% in 1986, so that the importance attached to reducing high blood cholesterol levels approached that attributed to reducing smoking and high blood pressure. In 1983, 35% of adults reported that they had their cholesterol level checked vs 46% in 1986. In both years, diet changes were most frequently chosen (greater than 60%) as ways to control the blood cholesterol level; reducing dietary fat was believed to be as important as reducing dietary cholesterol. By 1986, 23% of adults reported that they made dietary changes specifically to lower their blood cholesterol level, up from 14% in 1983. These comparative data show gains in public awareness and action relating to high blood cholesterol level risk. The data can be used to develop education programs.

Synthesis and antilipolytic activities of quinolyl carbanilates and related analogues

A series of quinolyl carbanilates was prepared and tested as antilipolytic agents. These compounds inhibited production of glycerol from rat adipocytes and inhibited liberation of free fatty acids from triolein by canine cardiac triglyceride lipases. An extensive structure-activity relationship study indicated that 8-quinolyl 4-methoxycarbanilate (1) contained features necessary for maximum potency in vitro. Substituting a benzofuranyl group for the quinolyl group of 1 provided the most interesting compound on the basis of both potency and structural novelty. 7-Benzofuranyl 4-methoxycarbanilate (44) has IC50's of 16 and 0.3 microM in the myocardial lipase and rat adipocyte assays, respectively. In vivo, compound 44 was orally active as an inhibitor (97% at 25 mg/kg) of lipolysis in the rat.

Synthesis and antiallergic activities of 1,3-oxazolo[4,5-h]quinolines

A series of new 1,3-oxazolo[4,5-h]quinolines has been prepared. These compounds were tested as inhibitors of antigen-induced release of histamine (AIR) in vitro from rat peritoneal mast cells (RMC) and as inhibitors of IgE-mediated passive cutaneous anaphylaxis in the rat (PCA). After several modifications of the original lead, the most potent compound of the series was determined to be 5-chloro-1,3-oxazolo[4,5-h]quinoline-2-carboxylic acid methyl ester (4a). It has an IC50 of 0.3 microM in the RMC assay and an ED50 (intraperitoneal) of 0.1 mg/kg in the PCA test, which is 10 times and 60 times more potent than disodium cromoglycate (DSCG), respectively. Of greater importance, it is orally active (ED50 = 0.5 mg/kg) as an inhibitor of the PCA test.

Functional aspects of T-lymphocyte subsets in pregnancy

Several recent reports have suggested that a decrease in circulating T helper cells may contribute to the relative immunodeficiency of pregnancy. To investigate the significance of these findings, 90 pregnant women were evaluated. The results of this study indicate that although pregnant women have a decreased proportion of T helper cells, they do have adequate T helper cell function as determined by an in vitro immunoglobulin synthesis assay and a T-lymphocyte colony-forming assay. Based on these studies it is unlikely that decreased numbers of T helper cells are primarily responsible for the immunodeficiency of pregnancy.

Synthesis of 2-(2,3-dihydro-2-oxo-1,3,4-oxadiazol-5-yl) benzo heterocycles. A novel series of orally active antiallergic agents

A series of new 2-(2,3-dihydro-2-oxo-1,3,4-oxadiazol-5-yl) benzo heterocycles has been prepared. These compounds were tested as inhibitors of antigen-induced release of histamine (AIR) in vitro from rat peritoneal mast cells (RMC) and as inhibitors of IgE-mediated rat passive cutaneous anaphylaxis in the rat (PCA). Most of this new class of antiallergic agents showed good activity in the RMC assay. The most potent compound, 3-chloro-2-(2,3-dihydro-2-oxo-1,3,4-oxadiazol-5-yl)benzo[b]thiophe ne (6t), with an I50 value of 0.2 microM, is 15 times more potent than disodium cromoglycate (DSCG) in the RMC assay. Many compounds were orally active in the PCA test, and several of these compounds showed higher potency when given in this way to that shown by DSCG when given intraperitoneally.

Physiological factors affecting drug toxicity

Physiological factors that affect the fate of drugs in the body and thereby have effects on their pharmacology and toxicology involve the systems that control absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion. The main factors are disease, genetics, and age. Nutritional status, sex, hormonal status (e.g., the effects of pregnancy), and circadian rhythm have important influences. Maternal toxicity will affect the fetus. The absorption and excretion of drugs are frequently reduced by diseases. Excretion is reduced by impaired renal function, often found in the elderly, which may increase the toxic response. Distribution is affected by body weight and build, for example, the proportion of fat. The disposition of many drugs has been shown to be significantly influenced by circadian rhythms such that therapeutic doses may exhibit toxicity if administered at an inappropriate time of day. Metabolism is modified by environmental influences including previous food and drug experience, and various factors such as age, sex, and disease. Intersubject variations in drug disposition can be very great with possibly severe consequences for the individual; in this regard, knowledge of genetic polymorphism in drug metabolizing enzymes is rapidly increasing. The toxicology of a drug may be profoundly affected by a particular disease state, for example, the administration of a drug that might be a tumor promoter when a cancerous or precancerous condition exists. These effects are illustrated with examples from the literature and recent studies undertaken in the Bureau of Drug Research.

Structure of the isonicotinyl hydrazone of norethindrone

The contraceptive steroid norethindrone reacts with isoniazid both in vivo and in vitro to give the corresponding hydrazone, which exists as syn and anti (with respect to C-4) isomers. These isomers rapidly interconvert, with the anti form predominating in solution. The identification of the isomers was based on an interpretation of 1H- and 13C-NMR spectroscopic data and corroborated by high-performance liquid chromatographic UV spectrophotometric evidence. 1H- and 13C-NMR spectroscopic data for other derivatives of norethindrone hydrazone are presented and interpreted.

3-O-methyl-alpha-methyldopamine, a urinary metabolite of p-methoxyamphetamine in dog and monkey

Metabolites of p-methoxyamphetamine in the urine of dogs and monkeys were separated by gas-liquid chromatography as their trifluoroacetyl derivatives, and identified by comparison of the chromatographic and mass spectrometric behavior of these derivatives with those of authentic synthetic compounds. The three new metabolites identified in both dogs and monkeys were 3-O-methyl-alpha-methyldopamine, 4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzyl methyl ketone, and 4-hydroxybenzyl methyl ketone. A fourth new metabolite was tentatively identified in the absence of the appropriate reference standard.

The metabolism of 3-methoxyamphetamine in dog, monkey and man

1. The metabolism of 3-methoxyamphetamine in vivo was examined in dog, monkey and man. 2. The metabolites identified in all three species were 3-O-methyl-alpha-methyldopamine, 1-(3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenyl)propan-2-ol, 3-hydroxyamphetamine, 1-(3-hydroxyphenyl)propan-2-one, 1-(3-hydroxyphenyl)propan-2-ol, 1-(3-methoxyphenyl)propan-2-ol and 1-(3-methoxyphenyl)propane-1,2-diol. 3. 1-Hydroxyl-1(3-hydroxyphenyl)propan-2-one was tentatively identified in the urine of all three species. 4. 4-O-Methyl-alpha-methyldopamine was also found in the urine of dog and monkey but not in human urine.

The value of the Duquénois test for cannabis--a survey

The Duquénois test is employed throughout the world as part of the identification procedure for cannabis. A survey of results published for more than 400 herbally derived and botanical materials originating from some 270 different plant species is presented. A survey of results from some 200 organic compounds is also presented. The data show that the D-L modification is the most specific. There is no published report of an obviously botanical material, apart from cannabis, that gives a positive D-L test. Apart from cannabinoids, some resorcinol derivatives give a positive test. All of the materials are easily distinguished from cannabis by TLC.

Identification of analogs of the hallucinogen cyclohexamine

The hallucinogenic drug 1-phenylcyclohexylamine and its N-methyl-, N-ethyl-, N-propyl-,N-isopropyl-, and N-(beta-phenylethyl)-derivatives are identified by spectroscopic techniques. Reference mass and infrarred spectra and gas-liquid and thin layer chromatographic data are provided and discussed.

Metabolic O-demethylation of 3,4-dimethoxyamphetamine in vivo in dog and monkey

1. The disposition of the hallucinogen 3,4-dimethoxyamphetamine in vivo was examined in dogs and monkeys. 2. O-Demethylation is important since 3-O-methyl-alpha-methyldopamine (3-methoxy-alpha-methyltyramine) was found in the urine of both species, and traces of alpha-methyldopamine were found in the urine of dogs. 3. Also found in the urine of dogs were 1-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)propan-2-one and 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid, which are side-chain modified metabolites of alpha-methyldopamine. 4. 1-(3-Methoxy-4-hydroxyphenyl)propan-2-one, a side-chain modified metabolite of 3-O-methyl-alpha-methyldopamine, was present in the urine of both dogs and monkeys. 5. The 3-O-demethylated isomers 4-O-methyldopamine and 1-(3-hydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl)propan-2-one were not detected.

Adapting the patient care conference to primary nursing

Patient care conferences are a crucial element in the concept of primary nursing. The authors compare and contrast team and primary nursing patient care conferences. Changes in format and approach needed for patient care conferences in the primary nursing system are discussed, and specific behaviors for conducting primary nursing patient care conferences are outlined.

alpha-Methyldopamine, a key intermediate in the metabolic disposition of 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine in vivo in dog and monkey

Metabolites of 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine in the urine of dogs and monkeys were separated by gas-liquid chromatography as their trifluoroacetyl and/or n-butyl ether derivatives and identified by comparison of the chromatographic and mass spectrometric behavior of these derivatives with those of synthetic compounds. The metabolites identified in dog and monkey urine were alpha-methyldopamine, 3-O-methyl-alpha-methyldopamine, and 3,4-dihydroxybenzyl methyl ketone. The monkey urine also contained 3,4-methylenedioxybenzyl methyl ketone and 3,4-methylenedioxybenzoic acid present as a glucuronide and/or sulfate conjugate, whereas the dog urine had 3-methoxy-4-hydroxybenzoic acid present as a conjugate other than glucuronide and sulfate. The phenolic metabolites in both species were present free and as glucuronide and/or sulfate conjugates.