Disulfiram implantation. A placebo-controlled trial with two-year follow-up

Ten alcoholics implanted with disulfiram had longer periods of abstinence after treatment than did 10 alcoholics implanted with placebo; 7 of the disulfiram-implanted patients experienced a disulfiram-ethanol reaction in uncontrolled drinking situations, while none of the placebo-implanted patients did.

Lens structural disorders in the leopard frog (Rana pipiens) supplied to the laboratory from wild populations

Examination of lenses of 48 leopard frogs, Rana pipiens, from three commercial suppliers disclosed a high incidence of histologic aberrations. Only four of 17 lenses that appeared totally clear under the dissecting microscope were found to be free of discernible abnormalities on histologic examination. Deviations were most common in the area of elongation. Because of these findings, the applicability of frog lenses for cellular investigations was questioned.

Directed Attention and Perceptual Asymmetry to Monaurally Presented Tones

Forty-eight right-handed Ss were tested for simple reaction time (RT) to a monaurally presented 1000 Hz tone of 250 msec duration. Each S was tested in 3 series comprising 7, 11 and 15 stimulus presentations (trials). In each series all stimuli but one (probe) were presented to a single ear. Ss were divided equally into right or left-ear attention groups on the basis of the ear receiving the non-probe trials. Right-ear attention resulted in equally good RTs to either attended or non-attended ear. Left-ear attention resulted in slower RTs than right-ear attention and showed a significant discrepancy between ears in favor of the non-attended ear. The results are interpreted as showing that neither simulus competition nor language processing are necessary conditions for eliciting auditory asymmetry. The data indicate that a cortically-mediated process of selective attention operates in the production of auditory asymmetries for some non-language sounds and that, as with language perception, it is the left cerebral hemisphere that is primarily involved.

Atherosclerosis and the hypoplastic aortoiliac system

Between January, 1965, and December, 1975, 204 patients (138 men and 66 women) underwent aortoiliac reconstruction for atherosclerotic occlusive disease. Eighteen patients (9%) had a hypoplastic aortoiliac segment and an analysis of these 18 patients constitutes the basis of this report. There were 17 women and one man, and their ages ranged from 28 to 60 years, with an average of 43 years. Hyperlipidema was present in nine of 13 patients tested. All patients were heavy cigarrete smokers and had lower extremity claudication with weak or absent pulses. Carotid or subclavian artery disease was found in 50%. Angiography demonstrated hypoplasia of the aorta distal to the renal arteries with either occlusion, diffuse narrowing, or, most often, an "hourglass" stenosis. The iliac and femoral arteries also were narrowed. Reconstruction was achieved primarily by aortobilateral-iliac or femoral bypass. There were no operative deaths and all patients were improved initially. It appears that normally occurring atherosclerosis in this portion of the aorta, along with congenital narrowing, accounts for symptoms at an early age. The predominence in women is a puzzle. The prognosis does not appear to be too grim. This may be due to absence of diabetes mellitus and the infrequency of coronary artery disease. All patients are still alive; there has been one major amputation following graft infection 1 1/2 years after operation. When progression of atherosclerosis occurs, it seems to involve the superficial femoral, carotid, and subclavian arteries.

Discriminant analysis of MMPI profiles for demographic classifications of male alcoholics

Discriminant function analysis of MMPI profiles of alcoholics on variables of age, education, occupation and marital status did not yield a common discriminant space, suggesting that other pertinent sociocultural factors must be incorporated to obtain a valid and informative discriminant space.

Increased renal function in patients with acute left ventricular failure: a possible homeostatic mechanism

1. Creatinine clearance and urine excretion have been measured in fifty-five patients admitted with suspected myocardial infarction. Patients were grouped on the basis of their radiological report on the first day, irrespective of their diagnosis. The first group consisted of twenty-six patients with normal chest X-rays, the second group of twenty-two patients with radiological evidence of upper zone vessel dilatation and the third group of seven patients with radiological evidence of pulmonary oedema, who were significantly older.

2. The mean creatinine clearance on the first day in patients with upper zone vessel dilatation was significantly higher than the creatinine clearance in patients with normal radiographs. By the third and fourth days the clearances were similar in both groups. The patients with pulmonary oedema had low creatinine clearances on all 4 days.

3. Glomerular filtration rate was measured with 51Cr-labelled EDTA on twenty occasions, and the results correlated well with the creatinine clearance values obtained on the same day.

4. The mean urine volumes on day 1 (2245 ± 286 ml/24 h) and day 2 (2219 ±232 ml/24 h) in patients with upper zone vessel dilatation who had not received diuretics, were significantly higher (P < 001) than the urine volumes on day 1 (1652 ± 145 ml/24 h) and day 2 (1713 ± 118 ml/24 h) in patients with normal radiographs. All the patients with pulmonary oedema had received diuretics during the study and were therefore excluded from this analysis.

5. It is concluded that patients with radiological evidence of upper zone vessel dilatation show an elevation of glomerular filtration rate and an increase in urinary output. It is suggested that these responses are mediated via the stimulation of receptors in the left side of the heart and fulfil a homeostatic function, to unload an overdistended heart.

Effect of ethidium bromide on transplanted virus-induced tumor cells

Ethidium bromide (2,3-diamino-5-ethyl-6-phenylphenanthridinium bromide) significantly inhibited the RNA-dependent DNA polymerase of types A and C particles isolated from transplanted adenovirus 12-induced tumors of CBA mice. It was also cytotoxic for an established in vitro line of adenovirus 12-induced tumor cells of CBA mice and caused cell death, inhibition of [3H]thymidine uptake, and a significant reduction of cells in metaphase. Ethidium bromide significantly inhibited the in vivo growth of transplanted adenovirus 12-induced tumor cells of CBA mice, simian virus 40-induced tumor cells of hamsters, and murine leukemia virus-induced lymphoma cells of BALB/c mice. The compound may have exerted the antitumor activity by selectively affecting oncornavirus in the tumor cells.

Disulfiram implantation: placebo, psychological deterrent, and pharmacological deterrent effects

In an effort to examine the placebo, psychological deterrent, and pharmacological deterrent effects associated with implanted disulfiram, subjects were given either disulfiram implants or sham operations. Ethanol challenges elicited no disulfiram-ethanol reactions (DERs), indicating that at the time of the challenge neither a pharmacological deterrent nor a placebo effect was operating. Of the patients who resumed drinking, only those with disulfiram implants experienced DERs. Sham operation subjects continued to drink after their first post-challenge drink; four of five disulfiram implant recidivists remained abstinent following their experience of a DER. It is concluded that the pharmacological deterrent effect of the disulfiram implant may have been underestimated in previous reports.

Disulfiram-ethanol reaction to implanted disulfiram

It is postulated that a recent suggestion that the disulfiram implant technique is not pharmacologically effective may be premature. Some literature is cited in support of this contention, and three case histories of disulfiram implant patients who experienced disulfiram-ethanol reactions when they recommenced drinking are reported. It is suggested that the disulfiram-ethanol reactions to implanted disulfiram may be delayed in onset and of longer duration than those obtained from orally-administered disulfiram. Possible mechanisms are discussed.

Multivariate analysis: data reduction and treatment evaluation

In a recent article, Everitt (1975) discussed several problems with multivariate techniques. However, two useful applications of multivariate techniques were not covered. The present paper describes the use of factor analysis to reduce a large array of outcome variables to a statistically manageable number, and multivariate analysis of variance to determine the relative effectiveness of several treatment regimes where a single outcome variable cannot be specified. It is concluded that the advantages of a multivariate approach out-weigh the disadvantages, provided the researcher is careful in interpreting and reporting his results.