Effectiveness of employee training and motivation programs in reducing exposure to inorganic lead and lead alkyls.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has advanced engineering controls over administrative controls and protective equipment to reduce exposures to chemicals in the workplace. The application of employee training and motivation programs (such as job safety analysis) to reduce exposures to chemicals has not been emphasized. To determine the effectiveness of such programs, a pilot project in an alkyl lead production facility was conducted with 35 employees in an effort to reduce exposures to organic and inorganic lead.

Sleep apneic activity in a normal population.

One hundred subjects without any complaint of sleep disturbance were evaluated in the sleep laboratory for the presence of sleep apnea and sleep apneic activity (SAA). This sample, which had a representative proportion of women and men and a wide age distribution, included only subjects who were physically and mentally healthy and were not using any medication. None of the subjects had the clinical condition of sleep apnea, and only 12 percent of the subjects met the more liberal criterion for SAA.

Nocturnal myoclonus and nocturnal myoclonic activity in the normal population.

The presence of nocturnal myoclonus (NM) and nocturnal myoclonic activity (NMA) was assessed in the sleep laboratory in 100 subjects without any complaint of sleep disturbance. Subjects were included only if they were physically and mentally healthy and not using any medication. The subject sample was selected to have a representative proportion of women and men and a wide age distribution.

Synaptogenesis and its relation to growth of the postsynaptic cell: a quantitative study of the developing Mauthner neuron of the axolotl.

We describe the relation between growth and branching of an identified dendrite and the formation of synapses on its surface during a 3 1/2-day period early in development. We studied the lateral dendrite and the adjacent lateral perikaryon of the Mauthner cell (M-cell) during embryonic stages 39-43 in the axolotl Ambystoma mexicanum. Reconstructions from light micrographs of serial sections through the cell revealed that during this interval the dendrite elongates rapidly, and large numbers of ventrally directed branches are formed.

Lorazepam-efficacy, side effects, and rebound phenomena.

Lorazepam, 4 mg, was evaluated in an 18-night sleep-laboratory study involving five insomniac subjects. Hypnotic effectiveness and effects on sleep stages and related parameters were assessed. Placebo was given on baseline nights 1 to 4, lorazepam on nights 5 to 11, and placebo was given again on withdrawal nights 12 to 18.

Dose-response studies of quazepam.

Quazepam, an investigational benzodiazepine, was evaluated in doses of 7.5, 15, and 30 mg in a 12-night protocol including four nights of drug trial. All three doses were effective in inducing and maintaining sleep, with the highest degree of effectiveness after the first drug night.

Studies on tryptophan accumulation in brain during methiothepin-induced enhancement of 5-hydroxyindole synthesis.

The elevation of brain tryptophan, 5-hydroxytryptophan and 5-hydroxyindoles (serotonin + 5-hydroxyindole acetic acid) that results from a tryptophan load is potentiated by prior administration of methiothepin, a serotonin receptor antagonist. Co-administration of valine with tryptophan attenuates these effects even in animals receiving methiothepin pretreatment. Administration of methiothepin and tryptophan to rats with widespread reduction of brain 5-hydroxyindole levels resulting from raphe lesions or 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine pretreatment still enabled brain tryptophan levels to rise considerably above the sum of increases found in animals receiving one or the other.

Paradoxical short-term effects of cyproheptadine on insulin and glucagon release in the rat.

The administration of cyproheptadine (25 mg/kg; i.p.) resulted in an increase of plasma insulin and glucagon (measured using 30 K antibody) 30, 60 and 120 min after injection to fasted rats.

The acute effects of 5HTP, fluoxetine and quipazine on insulin and glucagon release in the intact rat.

5-hydroxytryptophan (5HTP), the immediate precursor of serotonin, induces a release of insulin and glucagon in the intact rat. These effects of 5HTP, which have previously been shown to be blocked by L-aromatic amino acid decarboxylase inhibition, were also prevented by methysergide (a serotonin receptor antagonist). Quipazine (a serotonin receptor agonist) did not alter pancreatic hormone release.

Selective massive amyloidosis of the small intestine mimicking multiple tumors.

Selective massive amyloidosis of the small intestine is uncommon. A patient is described who presented with abdominal pains and hematemesis. The small bowel series showed numerous discrete nodules, some with ulcerations.

The acute pharmacologic effects of serotonin on the release of insulin and glucagon in the intact rat.

Serotonin (5HT) (5 mg/kg-25 mg/kg; i.p.) induced a dose-related increase of plasma glucagon (IRG) (using 30K antibody) 3 to 60 min after administration to overnight fasted rats.

Nutrition and fertility: some iconoclastic results.

In this paper, the evidence available is used to conclude that, as levels of nutrition increase from insufficient to excessive, fertility first increases and then decreases. This suggests that the relationship between fertility and nutrition has the shape of an inverted U. Next, the hypothesis is explicitly tested using countries as units of observation.

Coccidioidomycosis involving the mandible: report of case.

We have presented a case of disseminated coccidioidomycosis involving the mandible in a 47-year-old white man. A review of the literature has shown that coccidioidomycosis involving the jaws is an unusual, if not rare, entity. The pathogenicity of the disease and accepted treatment were discussed.