Loss of expression of a differentiated function gene, steroid 17 alpha-hydroxylase, as adrenocortical cells senescence in culture.

Senescence in cultured adrenocortical cells involves changes in expression of differentiated functions as well as changes in responses to mitogenic stimulation. Steroid 17 alpha-hydroxylase (steroid 17 alpha-monooxygenase, EC 1.14.

Response of postpartum beef cows to exogenous progestogens and gonadotropin releasing hormone.

Plasma progesterone (P4) profile and estrous detection were used during three experiments to evaluate the effects of exogenous progestogens on the life span of gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH)-induced corpora lutea (CL) in postpartum (pp) beef cows. Experiment 1 utilized primiparous fall-calving cows (n = 28, trial 1); and spring-calving cows (n = 29, trial 2). On d 18 to 27 pp (d 0) all cows received intravaginal devices containing either P4 or no P4 (NP) for 5 d.

Anterograde transport of horseradish peroxidase in the nigrostriatal pathway after neostriatal kainic acid lesions.

We used the anterograde transport of HRP to analyze the nigrostriatal pathway after intrastriatal injections of kainic acid. A total volume of 1 microliter kainic acid (3 nM) was injected unilaterally into the neostriatum of adult rats. After 5, 10, or 35 days, HRP was injected into the ipsilateral substantia nigra.

Quantitative morphology of medium-sized caudate spiny neurons in aged cats.

These studies were designed to assess some of the morphological alterations that occur in medium-sized spiny neurons of the caudate nucleus in aged cats. Computer assistance was used to quantify in three dimensions the extent of the dendritic trees of 164 neurons from 11 cats (5 1-3 years and 6 over 10 years of age) stained by the rapid Golgi technique. In all animals beyond 10 years of age there was a decrease in the density of spines on distal dendritic segments.

Controversial issues in home health care: a roundtable discussion.

Controversial issues in home health care (HHC) were discussed by a panel of four individuals involved in or knowledgeable about HHC. The panel addressed the following issues: reluctance of health professionals to participate in home care, challenges in providing HHC services, assigning responsibility for HHC services, reimbursement considerations in joint-venture arrangements, assuming fiscal responsibility for unreimbursed care, selecting HHC providers, defining patient rights, selecting drug products for home-care patients, competing with community pharmacists, circumvention of pharmacist input in preparation of solutions for home infusion, and the future of HHC. Hospital pharmacists who plan to become involved or are already involved in providing HHC services should become familiar with these controversial issues.

Oral vitamin E supplements can prevent the retinopathy of abetalipoproteinaemia.

Six patients with abetalipoproteinaemia are described who received large doses of oral vitamin E for between 12 and 18 years in addition to a low fat diet and supplements of the other fat soluble vitamins. The progressive retinopathy observed in untreated abetalipoproteinaemia was substantially modified and most probably prevented by this therapy. Angioid streaks were noted in one patient.

Laser iridectomy. A controlled study comparing argon and neodymium: YAG.

Laser peripheral iridectomies were performed on both eyes of 38 patients with acute or chronic primary angle-closure glaucoma or with narrow angles capable of closure. The right eye was treated with the neodymium YAG laser (Nd:YAG) and the left eye with the argon laser. Patients were followed for a minimum of eight months.

Morphology of embryonic neostriatal cell suspensions transplanted into adult neostriata.

Embryonic neostriatal cell suspensions were transplanted into intact or kainic acid-lesioned neostriata of adult host rats. These transplants survived and were sacrificed at 34-78 days posttransplantation. Nissl and Golgi preparations revealed neurons present within the transplants.

Microcomputer applications for home health-care services.

Principles in selecting a microcomputer system for use in a home health-care (HHC) service and potential applications for an HHC microcomputer system are described. To ensure that the quality of care provided to patients at home is comparable with that provided to inpatients, HHC services must be well organized, provide adequate channels of communication among staff members, and maintain complete and accurate records of the selection, training, therapy, evaluation, and follow-up of all home-therapy patients. A well-designed microcomputer system can increase the efficiency and accuracy with which those goals are met.

Evaluating alternatives for providing home health-care services.

Alternatives for providing home health-care services (HHC) are discussed. An institution may provide HHC services for a variety of reasons including economic incentives, physician requests, consumer demands, and a desire to provide continuity of care. In planning an HHC program, data should be collected to provide a reliable estimate for potential HHC referrals.

Comprehensive pharmaceutical services in the surgical suite and recovery room.

The operation of a pharmacy satellite located within the operating suite of a large university hospital is described. The satellite provides comprehensive services 24 hours a day, seven days a week to the staff of the operating room (OR), recovery room, and anesthesia department. Kits of anesthetic agents and other drugs used by the anesthetist and surgeon are prepared for each surgical procedure.

Neuronal effects of experimentally induced hydrocephalus in newborn rats.

To determine the effects of increased cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pressure on neuronal morphology, obstructive hydrocephalus was induced by injecting kaolin into the fourth ventricle and cisterna magna of 1-day-old rats. The animals were sacrificed 10 to 12 days later, at which time severe ventriculomegaly and cortical thinning were apparent in the parieto-occipital region. Tissue from this area was processed by rapid Golgi methods.

Trabeculodialysis for inflammatory glaucoma in children and young adults.

A modified goniotomy (trabeculodialysis) was performed on 30 eyes of 23 patients with secondary glaucoma due to chronic anterior uveitis. All but two patients also suffered from juvenile chronic arthritis (Still's disease, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis). Trabeculodialysis was unsuccessful in lowering intraocular pressure to below 21 mmHg in 12 (40%) of eyes and successful in 18 (60%) of eyes.

Challenges in purchasing and inventory control.

In this concluding installment in a multipart series, issues that should be considered in the improvement of hospital pharmacy purchasing and inventory control systems are presented. Pharmacists must be aware of possible variation in bioavailability among different formulations of the same drug and evaluate new vendors critically. Hospital pharmacists and industry representatives should strive for a cooperative relationship by fostering ongoing dialogue.

Hormonal regulation of androgen biosynthesis by primary cultures of testis cells from neonatal rats.

Enzymatically dispersed testis cells derived from 7-day-old male rats maintained their gonadotropin-stimulated testosterone production for 18 days in culture. Treatment with hCG or LH stimulated androgen production in a dose-dependent manner, with ED50 values of 0.030 +/- 0.

The role of the pharmacist in home health care.

Home infusion services, a new facet of home health care (HHC) delivery, have created many new opportunities for hospital pharmacists to participate more actively in patient care. These opportunities can create new roles for the pharmacist as an educator, clinician, and administrator. Early efforts must be made to educate hospital administrators, physicians, and other allied health personnel regarding the advantages and disadvantages of providing HHC--from the perspective of both patients and institutions.

Laser peripheral iridectomy comparing Q-switched neodymium YAG with argon.

Twenty-five patients who required bilateral peripheral iridectomies had the right eye treated by the Nd YAG laser and the left eye by the pulsed argon laser. The photodisruption of iris tissued produced by the Nd YAG produces a quicker more efficient iridectomy than the thermal effect of the argon laser with less tendency to healing and inflammation. We conclude that Neodymium YAG laser iridectomy is a safe effective alternative to argon laser iridectomy with no increase in complications during the follow up period and is preferred by the patients.

Bid solicitation and contract negotiation.

The process of soliciting bid prices for drug products and of negotiating contracts with pharmaceutical vendors is reviewed. The primary purpose of bid purchasing is to obtain drugs at the lowest price and to have these prices remain fixed for a predetermined period of time. A successful bid-purchasing process depends on the institution's implementation of a formulary brand-standardization policy, prior identification of acceptable vendors and drug products, and establishment of criteria for evaluating drugs under a bid-purchasing system.

[Intracapsular cataract extraction using cyclodialysis. A useful method].

Thirty patients requiring cataract extraction for improved vision, and having concurrent primary open-angle glaucoma controlled with varying success by medication, had combined intracapsular cataract extraction and cyclodialysis performed by one surgeon. The average duration of follow-up was 22 months. Visual acuity deteriorated in one case in whom vision was limited to finger counting preoperatively.

Purchasing and inventory control--past, present, and future.

Factors that have affected hospital pharmacy purchasing and inventory control functions are discussed, and future trends are suggested. The concepts of the pharmacy and therapeutics committee and the hospital formulary system stemmed from early hospital pharmacy practice standards that were promulgated about the time drug products began to proliferate. Brand standardization, restricted drug-use policies, and selection of therapeutic alternates are among the approaches P & T committees have devised to hold down hospital drug costs; these efforts will expand.