Geriatric assessment teams in nursing homes: do they work?

Several studies have examined the effectiveness of geriatric assessment teams in outpatient and acute care settings. This project compared medical records of 69 consecutive nursing home patients randomly assigned on arrival to team (n = 33) and nonteam (standard care, n = 36) conditions. Quality-of-care indices and healthcare service utilization were compared over a 12-month postadmission period.

Characterization of beta-endorphin- and alpha-MSH-related peptides in rat heart.

POMC-derived peptides and mRNA have been identified in heart tissue, although POMC processing has not been fully characterized. In the present study, we found that beta-lipotropin and ACTH were localized in rat heart, although they were almost entirely converted to beta-endorphin- and alpha-MSH-related peptides. Ion exchange HPLC analysis revealed that beta-endorphin(1-31) was further processed to alpha-N-acetyl-beta-endorphin(1-31), which comprised 35.

Medication: reasons and interventions for noncompliance.

1. There is a strong correlation between medication noncompliance and higher rates of illness relapse. The causes of noncompliance include side effects, knowledge deficits, and patient/therapist relationships.

GPI Mount Scopus--a variant of glucosephosphate isomerase deficiency.

Glucosephosphate isomerase (GPI) deficiency is an unusual cause of hereditary nonspherocytic hemolytic anemia. The disease, inherited as an autosomal recessive disorder, is most often manifested by symptoms and signs of chronic hemolysis, ameliorated by splenectomy. We recently diagnosed GPI deficiency in a 23-year-old Ashkenazi Jewish man who displayed the typical clinical course of this disorder.

Determination of total and free carbamazepine and the principal metabolites in serum by high-performance liquid chromatography with photodiode-array detection.

A precise and accurate high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method has been established for the simultaneous analysis of carbamazepine (CBZ), carbamazepine-10,11-epoxide (CBZ-E), and trans-10,11-dihydroxy-10,11-dihydro-CBZ (CBZ-H) in serum samples and their ultrafiltrates. CBZ and its metabolites are eluted in a 3-microM ODS-Hypersil column (250 x 2 mm) at a column temperature of 40 degrees C. The mobile phase is a mixture containing potassium phosphate buffer-acetonitrile-methanol (110:50:30, vol/vol/vol) at a flow rate of 0.

Simultaneous determination of carbamazepine, phenytoin, phenobarbital, primidone and their principal metabolites by high-performance liquid chromatography with photodiode-array detection.

We have established a precise and accurate high-performance liquid chromatographic method for the simultaneous assay of carbamazepine, phenytoin, phenobarbital, primidone and their principal metabolites. This method has been used for the analysis of these drugs and the metabolites in serum, saliva and urine samples. Acetonitrile is used for the deproteinization of serum and saliva samples while solid-phase extraction is utilized for urine sample pretreatment.

Satellite DNA sequences in the New World primate Cebus apella Plaatyrrhini, Primates).

Two satellite DNAs, designated CapA and CapB, were isolated from the neotropical primate, Cebus apella. The satellites exhibit nonoverlapping distributions on C. apella chromosomes.

Determination of free valproic acid: evaluation of the Centrifree system and comparison between high-performance liquid chromatography and enzyme immunoassay.

Valproic Acid (VPA) is an important drug for the treatment of several types of seizures because it has a wide spectrum of activity. Since VPA has an unusual nonlinear binding characteristic and a wide interindividual variation, monitoring of its free concentration can be helpful in patient management. The determination of unbound VPA is more difficult because an extra sample preparation step is needed and the concentration of free VPA is low.

Effects of increased dietary phosphorus on magnesium balance in very low birthweight babies.

The effects of three dietary phosphorus concentrations on magnesium balance in very low birth weight (VLBW) infants were measured. The infants consumed one of three special formulas for 20 consecutive days. Magnesium balance was calculated by measuring food intake, urinary magnesium and fecal magnesium.

A potential vaccine for cocaine abuse prophylaxis.

Presently, there are estimated to be 1.5 to 2.0 million individuals infected with HIV-1 in the U.

Determination of valproic acid by high-performance liquid chromatography with photodiode-array and fluorescence detection.

The derivatization of valproic acid and undecylenic acid with 4-bromomethyl-7-methoxycoumarin is described. The derivatives were detected by photodiode-array and fluorescence detectors. The optimum monitoring conditions and the stability of the suspension solution and derivatives were investigated.

Isolation of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) from saliva and forensic science samples containing saliva.

Saliva and saliva-stained materials were examined as potential sources of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) for DNA analysis and identity testing. In this paper, the authors demonstrate that DNA was isolated and DNA banding patterns suitable for DNA typing were obtained from fresh saliva and various saliva-stained materials, such as envelopes, buccal swabs, gags, and cigarettes. Furthermore, DNA and DNA banding patterns were obtained from actual forensic evidentiary samples containing mixed saliva/semen stains.

Demonstration by in situ hybridization of the proopiomelanocortin gene in the rat heart.

A biotinylated oligonucleotide probe was used to demonstrate the presence in the heart of the portion of the proopiomelanocortin messenger RNA which contains the sequence for beta-endorphin. The probe indicated the presence of beta-endorphin messenger RNA in cardiac tissue and specifically in the cardiac muscle cell. The probe also confirmed the well-documented presence of messenger RNA for beta-endorphin in the anterior and neurointermediate lobes of the pituitary.

The effect of dimethylsulfoxide on the tegumental brush border of the cestode Hymenolepis diminuta.

Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), commonly used for cryoprotection or for the solvation of cytoskeleton-modifying drugs, causes changes in the topology of the plasma membrane of the tegumental brush border in the tapeworm Hymenolepis diminuta; however, relatively long exposures of high concentrations are required. In tapeworms treated with DMSO concentrations of greater than or equal to 1% in the present study, the interaction of the tegumental surface membrane with the underlying cytoskeleton may have been disrupted at focal points in the brush border, resulting in a partial loss of the membrane anchoring required for the structural integrity of the brush border. Blebbing of the tegumental surface was prominent only after exposure to 1% DMSO for 20 h in in vitro culture with RPMI 1640, and vesiculation of the membrane along the microvillar (microtriche) shafts, which may have been related to the in vitro conditions, was amplified by the presence of concentrations of greater than or equal to 1% DMSO in the incubation medium.

Heart rate patterns in fetuses exposed to cocaine.

Heart rate patterns of 42 fetuses exposed to cocaine near the time of delivery were compared with patterns in 42 controls. Decreased long-term variability and an increased frequency of contractions were observed more often in the cocaine group (P = .046 and P = .

Dietary fiber sources lower blood cholesterol in C57BL/6 mice.

Five sources of dietary fiber were compared for their effect on blood and liver cholesterol. The effects of soybean fiber, rice bran (full fat), oat bran, barley bran and mixed bran on total blood cholesterol concentrations and liver cholesterol concentrations were measured in beef-fed C57BL/6 male mice. Each diet contained cooked beef, beef tallow, corn starch and 7% dietary fiber from one of the five fiber sources.

DNA sequence abnormalities of human glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase variants.

Over 400 supposedly biochemically and genetically distinct variants of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) have been described in the past. In order to investigate these variants at the DNA sequence level we have now determined the relevant sequences of introns of G6PD and describe a method which allows us to rapidly determine the sequence of the entire coding region of G6PD. This technique was applied to six variants that cause G6PD deficiency to be functionally so severe as to result in nonspherocytic hemolytic anemia.

Possible opiate action in the anxiolytic and antinociceptive actions of alprazolam.

Chronic treatment with alprazolam reversed the effect of acute stress on the concentration of immunoreactive beta-endorphin (IR-BE) in the anterior pituitary (AP) and increased the amount of beta-endorphin (BE) relative to beta-lipotropin (B-LPH). In chronically stressed animals, administration of alprazolam did not alter the effect of a single stressful episode on the concentration of IR-BE in the AP, the NIL or the plasma, however, the amount of BE relative to B-LPH was increased in the AP and the plasma. Administration of alprazolam resulted in a significant decrease in the perception of pain.

Beta-endorphin in the male rat pituitary: testosterone influences the effect of cocaine.

In order to determine if the effect of cocaine on the concentration of immunoreactive beta-endorphin (IR-BE) in the anterior pituitary (AP), neurointermediate lobe of the pituitary (NIL) and hypothalamus was modulated by gonadal steroid, the following groups of animals were studied: a) castrated male rats treated with vehicle, b) castrated male rats treated chronically with cocaine (daily for 10 days), c) castrated male rats treated with testosterone propionate (TP) and d) castrated male rats treated with TP and chronically administered cocaine. Only in castrated rats given TP did cocaine induce a significant increase in the concentration of IR-BE in the AP. The concentration of IR-BE in the NIL was increased by cocaine and was not influenced by the presence or absence of TP.

The elevation of immunoreactive beta-endorphin in old male rats is related to alterations in dopamine and serotonin.

The concentration of immunoreactive beta-endorphin (IR-BE) in the anterior pituitary (AP) and the neurointermediate lobe of the pituitary (NIL) was elevated in old as compared to young male rats. Treatment of old male rats with the dopamine precursor, L-DOPA, did not affect the concentration of IR-BE in the AP and produced a significant reduction in the concentration of IR-BE in the NIL. By contrast, administration of the serotonergic neurotoxin, p-CPA, significantly diminished the concentration of IR-BE in the AP of old male rats, while the concentration of IR-BE in the NIL remained unchanged.

A feline large granular lymphoma and its derived cell line.

A lymphoma cell line (MCC) was derived from an abdominal mass from a 13-yr-old castrated male cat. The cells resemble natural killer precursor cells, have membrane-bound granules, and are positive for chloroacetate esterase, alpha-naphthyl butyrate esterase, and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase activities. The MCC cells are negative for rearranged feline T-cell receptor genes, negative for feline T-cytotoxic antigen, Ia, and surface mu, tau, and lambda chains and do not form E-rosettes.